* Posts by Clyde

95 publicly visible posts • joined 18 Oct 2007

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Legal eagles accuse Labour of data law breach over party purge

Clyde

Using canvassing information

I'm surprised only one comment concerning the use of canvassing information.

Now that is a serious breach of the electoral laws, criminal action, and punishable severely.

If only there were some laws in this country that obliged laws to be enforced.

Choke on it! Brit police squeeze pirate site advertising money trail

Clyde

If they can do if for the "pirate" sites

Why can't they do the same for the really annoying ones - the sites that feed spam ?

All those payments to "men's health" sites and Russian wives and god only knows what else.

Spam is fed by credit card payments through payment processors and dodgy banks. Like the City of London.

Kill spam and you'd get to be king of the world if you wanted.

E-vote won't happen for next Oz election

Clyde

what's the need for this ?

Why have electronic voting ? Is it supposed to make things easier for the voters ? Is it supposed to increase the turnout ? (Although I understand voting is mandatory in Oz).

The recent Referendum in Scotland recorded an average 85% turnout - over 90% in some areas. This is unprecedented in our modern western world. It proves that give the people something they are interested in, and they will make an effort to be involved. If someone can't be arsed to get to a polling station - or use postal voting if infirm - then they just are not interested.

New Scottish Apple Store appears, then VANISHES off map app

Clyde

Used to be a Woolworths

I remember that Woolies - they had a canteen on an upstairs floor. Used to get a lunch there some Fridays.

Didn't realise so many other shops had also floundered in the same building.

Ach well, Edinburgh is the right place for Apple. Fur coats and nae knickers.

Windows 8.1 Update: Throws desktop drones a bone but still as TOUCHY as ever

Clyde

No more security updates if you don't version update

Have I missed something on El Reg today ?

Copied from : http://community.cengage.com/Infosec/blogs/mark_ciampa_4ed/default.aspx

FORCED TO UPDATE http://community.cengage.com/Infosec/blogs/mark_ciampa_4ed/archive/2014/04/08/forced-to-update.aspx

"Forced To Update

In a radical break from the past, Microsoft is now requiring users to update their software to the latest updates. If they don't, then they will no longer receive any future updates--including security patches.

In October 2013 Windows 8.1 was released to address the lackluster adoption of Windows 8. The first major update to Windows 8.1 was released today (Apr 8 2014), confusingly called Windows 8.1 Update (why couldn't they call it Windows 8.11 or Windows 8.2?). Yesterday (Apr 7 2014) Microsoft confirmed that Windows 8.1 users are required to update to Windows 8.1 Update before next month's Patch Tuesday {Chapter 5 Security+ 4ed} on May 13, 2014. What happens if you don't? Then no more "bug fixes, security patches and feature enhancements" for you, according to Microsoft.

And to make matters even a little more confusing, users running Windows 8 do not have to update to Windows 8.1 Update to continue getting patches. If they do want to update, then there is a multistep process: users must first update from Windows 8 to Windows 8.1 and then to Windows 8.1 Update (8-> 8.1 -> 8.1 Update). And there's a deadline for Windows 8 users as well: they must migrate to Windows 8.1 by January 12, 2016 or else they will no longer receive "bug fixes, security patches and feature enhancements".

This is a radical departure from how Microsoft has handled its updates in the past, when users had the choice of accepting or declining a service pack but they could still receive security patches. Starting today that is no longer the case. Let's hope that the word gets out by Microsoft or else there could be many unprotected Windows 8.1 users out there.

Stay secure!

http://community.cengage.com/infosec

"

Sysadmins fail to fix NHS IT snafu, HUNDREDS of appointments cancelled

Clyde

it's not a disaster

Local radio had one doctor on - he saw all his patients today. Phoned up the GPs who faxed over patient notes. Colleagues - some did, some didn't.

Son of a friend works in IT there. He says where patients showed up, they could send janitors (or whoever) to get their files. They just couldn't know in advance who would show up.

And my money's on the AD login.

Teen buys WikiLeaks server for $33,000 – with dad's eBay account

Clyde

Re: You Sure?

Downvoted for using the noun "shop" where the word for buying from said shop ought to have been used.

BT's new broom turns out to be carving knife: Retail wing sliced in half

Clyde

BT

This move is so they can catch all the small businesses that order lines as residential, and "upgrade" them to the more expensive Business Lines.

The only difference being in the billing.

BT boss barks at TalkTalk for being 'copper Luddites'

Clyde

BT not interested in FTTC for business

There's a new industrial estate being built in Glasgow, green field site, right beside the motorway network, on the main road from the city to the south. BT have enabled the exchange just up the road for fibre. They have put in cabinets in most of the residential areas all around, and doing FTTC for the high density housing.

BUT - they have NO PLANS to fibre up the new industrial estate. And the cabinets which mainly serve local businesses are not on the list to be enabled.

However they are proceeding to FTTP for all the housing for the athletes in next yera's Commonwealth Games. WTF ??? The athletes need fibre for their xboxes and what not ? While businesses that would gain don't get it ............

Maggie Thatcher: The Iron Lady who saved us from drab Post Office mobes

Clyde

At least two sides to this story

Yes she opened up state monopolies, yes she let in many chippy chappies who went on to make shed loads of dough, but she also opened the door to de-regulation - leading to all the financial woes we have today.

She also destroyed the lives of millions of families by asset stripping and closing down whole industries. There are still villages and towns today which are derelict and depressed, and full of unemployment and all the social ills.

She started a divide in Britain - the corner which she inhabited has done very, very nicely. But the other Britain - well, that's a different matter.

She used the assets created by past generations to fund her dreams, she used the new oil wealth to buy off opposition, and most importantly she spawned a generation who look on greed as the right way to live. Greed as a creed.

Yes she will have a legacy - but was it worth the human cost ? Could she have done things differently - better ?

MI5 undercover spies: People are falsely claiming to be us

Clyde

state security

This just gives us an insight into the rest of what these security types are telling us all the time.

If a bog-standard spam causes such a fuss that it tops the MI5 website, that insinuates that every other warning they issue is LESS important ...........

France demands Skype register as telco

Clyde

real reason

"and implement lawful interception of calls."

And that's where the real driver comes from.

WE CAN still be BETTER than Germany on broadband, says Ofcom

Clyde

Off Topic - Jeremy Hunt

"one-time Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt - who is now doing a good job of dismantling Britain's health service -"

I expected more accuracy from Kelly - The good Mr Hunt is only in charge of England's health service. Other places are doing other things. E.g. - Scotland's health service is not under threat of privatisation. Maybe that's down to effort being put in to manage the service, rather than wind it down.

Mind-melded rats could herald organic BRAIN-COMPUTERS

Clyde

Real rats don't drink beer

"Rats don't have a sense of self"

Obviously never seen the film BEN then !

That was creepier than the Exorcist.

cPanel: Reset your root passwords! Hackers broke into our system

Clyde

Old news

Old news : my hosting company posted this a week ago :

"With most resellers being more technically clued up than a typical end user I thought this topic was best posted in the reseller area, so you have re-assurance and can re-assure your own customers.

Over the last few weeks a nasty "SSH" compromise has been roaming around, with a large number of hosts infected by some serious hacking incidents as a result. Similarly (and currently suspected as linked) cPanel have announced one of the servers in their tech support department, and possibly their helpdesk ticketing system has been compromised, resulting in possibly 6+ months worth of tech support tickets and associated root login information being stolen.

For clarity ZERO UH servers have been affected by the matter, and when using cPanel support we've always rotated passwords out after supplying credentials. Similarly the hosts that have been affected seemed to all have allowed "direct root login" with password, something we've never had enabled on our servers (our support team login with keys and never use root passwords for SSH).

So while you may be reading of a lot of hosting companies having a bad few weeks with all this, your server is clean and will not have been affected thanks to a proper security policy developed over a 14 year period to ensure matters like this cannot spoil our day "

'Strong basis' to claims Nominet board breached duties - legal top gun

Clyde

WTF is up at Nominet ?

Actually I like Nominet, dealing with the .uk domains is fairly straightforward, and affordable. They don't come across (at ground level) as shafters or conmen.

But for the last couple of years there has been one controversy after another.

I really would like to know who's the good guys and who's the baddies here.

The Oric-1 is 30

Clyde

Cuthbert

And all the Cuthbert games !!!!!

Ofcom anoints broadcaster: Local TV is nearly here

Clyde

Doesn't seem "local" to me

I can't comment on the proposals for south of the border, but the proposals in Scotland are for areas which are anything but "local". One channel for the whole greater Glasgow area - half the country's population. And the figures I heard for advertising are certainly not what any "local" business could justify.

I've got to say this - keep the BBC well out of this area. They don't do decent "local". It's all London oriented stuff with a bit of parochial cat-up-a-tree and football tacked on.

Even given that most urban areas in the US have cable TV, they have genuinely local based TV stations. Mind you their adverts are dire, local karaoke star sings about a used car lot !! But it can be done, it doesn't have to take millions and millions to set up.

Get a good charismatic presenter, make quality programmes, do lots of proper quality local travel news and weather, and sound positive. Keep advertising affordable, and get local businesses involved.

Just don't go down the route that "the local High Street" has - which is just rows of the same shops you see in every town across the country.

Seagate: Stuff the cloud, back it all up on our box

Clyde

so it's an external hard drive then

.... with some autorun software

That's novel

Now you can control ANY Win 8 kit with your EYEBALLS

Clyde

eyes staring

would be perfect for my dog - she stares and stares when she wants something - takes sideways glances to show me what she's thinking about

Al Jazeera buys Al Gore's Current TV news network

Clyde

real content

I prefer to watch Al Jazeera news over breakfast rather than BBC (which is utter pap) or Sky (which tends to have too much studio chatter). Al Jazeera news is what news used to be - informative, tells you what's happening across the world. It's not just entertainment dressed up as news. Yes Al Jazeera has a high volume of stuff from the Middle East, but then that's where the problems for the world are coming from these days. Al Jazeera reporters and cameras are "on the ground" talking to people in the middle of situations.

I remember TV footage from the Vietnam war - there was a lot of horrific close up stuff that showed us westerners what it was like in that far off land. We don't get that from the "main" media these days. It's like pc-correctness applied to broadcasting - don't rock the boat with stories about foreigners or foreign places, just talk about entertainment or sport, that's good enough for the masses.

Well done Al Jazeera, you've put your money where your mouth is.

And to those nutcases who say Al Jazeera is "islamist" or "pro-Obama" - for god's sake look in a mirror.

Syria cuts off internet and mobile communications

Clyde

We don't like them, so we'll kill them

A country the size and strength of Syria is destroyed in a few months. And we talk about it being some demonstrators who have brought this about.

Bollocks - it's a surefire military action. Whole swathes of the country are now controlled by "insurgents".

Damascus airport and environs seem to be out of government control.

This is not the result of "demonstrators" or your pissed off rebels, this is military intervention by an experienced force who have finance behind them. So who would that be ? Who benefits ? Well there's one world super-power who has been calling for regime change for a long time, the same super-power who would benefit greatly in the upcoming war by removing Iran's strong friendly neighbour.

Leveson tells media to set up independent regulator or bow to Ofcom

Clyde

I'm quite gobsmacked there's so few responses

I'm quite gobsmacked there's so few responses to this article. It's actually a helluvan important issue in the country.

We CANNOT have any controls against free speech. Full stop. The press as much as anyone must be free to say what they want.

However, when they do say something bad - damaging - hurtful - not true, they MUST be held to account, they must atone for their sins.

So if it's a printed nasty, then a printed retract in exactly the same place in the same publication, as the original slander. Then a fine on top of that for getting it wrong against public morality.

And absolutely strong policing of that. This is the ONLY place that legislation should come into it. On the redress side. And there has to be a body that makes sure this happens, because the average wage earner is never going to be able to hire QCs to do it.

Forget regulation of what the press says - but hammer them when they do it badly for the sake of profit.

BBC Newsnightmare: Opera chief brought in as new DG

Clyde

"good broadcaster" is only in their own minds

I'll take this opportunity to make my own comments about the awful state of journaism at the BBC.

No in-depth reporting, and when the 24 hour channel came in, I thought that's what it would do.

Very little quality news reporting from overseas - maybe that's down to the johnny foreigner attitudes that infest London and the southeast nowadays. Unless it's stories from the USA - then they get the full red carpet treatment, hour after hour, day after day.

Lots of people see bias in their reporting, political bias. Far be it from me to suggest they employ people on the basis of "who you know" - but if the hat fits ....

The BBC spends a fortune on celebrities and broadcasting that commercial channels do very well - entertainment, sports - and also a fortune on the "period drama" no doubt hugely beneficial to the luvvies who would not get employment anywhere else.

But what they were set up to do - inform, be a pillar of light and all that - they have forgotten about in recent years.

Root and branch overhaul, weed out the hangers on, slim down the management, get back to basics. And bring in some professionalism and honesty amongst their workers.

NURSES' natural DESIRES to be SATISFIED, by technology

Clyde

What's this with the fat wasters comments ?

See an old hospital film from the 1960's or thereabouts - check out the waistlines and body shapes of the staff.

Compare to what you see in hospitals nowadays.

Then understand why they are called "the good old days".

OFT writes volley of stern letters to naughty web retailers

Clyde

The customer's always right, eh ?

Not much support on here today for the honest trader who gets stuffed every time by those b'stards who know their rights and profit by them, leaving the trader with nothing but costs and losses, anger, and no legal comeback.

Intel denies that its CEO thinks Windows 8 isn't ready

Clyde

What's the point of Windows 8 ?

Got a new PC yesterday, installed Windows 8, and took it home last night.

First hour spent looking at it, trying to figure out what to do next.

Slowly got to grips with the easy stuff like loading in software, Internet Explorer, etc.

This Metro - sorry what's the new name again ? - desktop sort of stuff - what in God's own name is that about ? Huge chunky icons, overloading the screen, scroll to the right to find anything. First part of the screen is full of MSN type shite, even the Games shortcut goes to online - WTF ? .

OK, so I found out that to do anything you need to bring up a proper desktop - so that's us now in Windows 7 mode then, eh ? That's fine, now where's "All Programs" ? Thanks to google I could build my own Programs list. So, maybe I'm just old-fashioned, stick in the mud, too old to change ? But at least in W7 you could navigate, use "My Computer", "Network Places", and get work done.

Certainly Windows 8 is fast, loaded up before I realised it. And I'm sure it must have some good points, I'll just need to find them.

But it looks for all the world like it has been designed for a 14 year old schoolgirl, all looks and no functionality. What's the point of trying to pretend that a PC is a mobile phone ? This is going to be a very hard sell putting Windows 8 into your typical small office.

UK.gov lays out what cities will get in broadband cash divvy

Clyde

and London gets the cash AGAIN

and London gets the lion's share of the cash AGAIN

Can we not build a big wall around that city and the south east and stop all our money getting sucked into the black hole that is the SE ?

Microsoft announces Office 2013, Office 365 pricing

Clyde

End of the line

This really means it's time for some publisher of a proper alternative to Office to get on the job and sell.

For many family types, an annual subscription is going to highlight just how much Microsoft stuff is costing them, instead of it being hidden in the upfront purchase price. After the first annual renewal, I can see many cash strapped families thinking how can I avoid this.

For small businesses, the idea of all your data being somewhere out in the etherworld ... no, lots of owner managers are not going to buy that one.

Sounds like - with this strict one device licence - you'll have trouble if a PC breaks down, and either needs replaced, new hard drive installation.

Pure and simply another money grabbing exercise by Microsoft. Nothing else. I see no benefit whatsoever to the average user.

RIP Howard Strowman: The stock doctor

Clyde

I did a lot of business with PST many years ago, we were never disappointed. Very sad, this is a loss to the industry and humanity.

Watchdog tells Greenpeace to stop 'encouraging anti-social behaviour'

Clyde

nuclear ..........

Now why did this article have to be spoilt by a blatant plug for the worst form of energy known to mankind ?

Nuclear power stations. Not to be confused with green and ecologically friendly places.

How many centuries will it be until the already existing nuclear sites are able to be used again ?

And how many billions will it cost us tax payers to remediate those sites after just a few years in production ? Noting those few years making profits for private multi national corporations.

If you're going to do down Greenpeace, fair enough. But don't use a false chestnut to do it.

Iranian firms told not to use foreign email providers

Clyde

real email

Any business should have a real email address anyway - I can't take a business seriously if they have a hotmail, gmail, or similar address.

BT blows fibre into 'multiple biz units' for first time

Clyde

FTTP only for residential

It appears to me that any FTTC is being supplied to residential as a priority, and business use is quite evidently not catered for, as evidenced by the lack of cabinets in business areas.

Presumably FTTP will be the same.

Mistakes over GCHQ codebreaker's death crippled inquiry

Clyde

"We don't do those nasty things ...."

And then there was the death of Willie MacRae.

"Shot himself in the head" "Gun found 50 feet away" . Motives aplenty.

Does anyone see a pattern here ?

BBC links Iran to cyber-war against Persian telly service

Clyde

Press TV

It's just the usual tit for tat - Westminster banned Press TV first.

Thousands of Brits bombarded in caller spoofing riddle

Clyde

easily remedied

"BT and Ofcom were able to track the source of the nuisance calls, which now appear to have stopped."

But anytime you report a nuisance call like that to BT, it's a waste of time. They say they can't do anything.

Was this different - did BT act because the "real owner" of the CLI number complained ?

There is ONE place these calls could be stopped fairly easily - that's BT. They have the infrastructure, they have the industry knowledge, they have the data. They could very easily set up a system to identify these calls - as others have said above. But they will not, because they make money from them.

PayPal slaps down Dr Who ‘charity book’

Clyde

payscammers

"and since PayPal is holding the funds while its investigations continue, nobody will lose their money."

Boll_x - Paypal will snaffle everything that's in the account, and everybody can go whistle.

Payscammers are a law unto themselves - they care nothing for right or wrong - they exploit every hiccup to confiscate funds. They are not interested in resolving anything properly.

The Law needs to take a firm hand with them.

The true, tragic cost of British wind power

Clyde

All that gas was wasted

Then of course when the North Sea fields were first discovered, Westminster wanted to cream off as much cash as it could , as fast as it could. Oil was the cash cow. So there was the ludicrous situation of the burn off - all the gas being burned off into the atmosphere at the rigs, because the powers that were didn't want to build a gas pipeline over to the coast.

Night turned into day all across the North Sea for such a long time.

The Norwegians didn't do that - and see how much money they've got in the bank now, compared to this bankrupt excuse for a country.

The money that has poured form the North Sea over the last forty years is too big to comprehend - see the McCrone Report for the projections. Part of that should have been used in the good years to build good renewables infrastructure. It's not too late, but it's certainly not in the psyche of the Westminster mob to do the sensible thing.

Clyde

Not an unbiased report

Not too far into the article and here's this gem "mix of gas and nuclear "

I knew it - this is just another episode of the nuclear lobby trying to nix the alternatives.

I remember when nuclear was being touted as the greatest invention ever - the papers were full of stories that we'd all be getting free electricity for life, even maybe getting paid for using it, when we built lots of nuclear power stations. Seriously, that was the propaganda back in the 60's.

And that was not so long after Windscale (google it if you don't know). The governement and nuclear industry changed the name of that plant quickly, hoping the public would forget if it had a different name.

Nuclear gets lots of subsidy that we don't talk about. And then there's the elephant in the big white globe - decommissioning, and storage of waste that could obliterate civilisation.

Dounreay will take about as long to decommission as it was in production. A huge amount of money being spent there. There's a big hole in the ground which seems to be "bottomless" where the early days contractors just chucked their rubbish - of course it's radioactive, and has to be cleaned out and taken somewhere else. Incredibly vast quantities of waste that will still be lethal thousands of years after all of us and all of our known history have long been forgotten.

Nuclear waste cannot be safely kept for ever. It is criminal of our generations to burden the future with the costs and responsibility of dealing with our garbage.

Nominet to launch .wales and .cymru

Clyde

Not public money

Baloney - the article clearly said that Nominet is putting up the funding for this project. Nominet is not a public body - there is no use of public money to set this up.

Methinks you've got your own agenda going here.

Resellers: Microsoft price hike was 'demanded by Euro country bosses'

Clyde

currency difference baloney

What's the difference between euro and sterling got to do with Microsoft pricing ?

There's a huge value difference between the dollar and the sterling pricing of MS product. But if I buy US product for use here in Scotland, then MS will have me over the barrel quicker than they can say counterfeit product.

So that's a baloney argument about price differentials between countries in Europe.

Welsh factions clash over .cymru and .wales bids

Clyde

Cymru

Absolutely to be expected - party politics from the Labour party. Why don't they just crawl down the same hole where they've thrown all their principles over the last couple of decades ?

Cuba accuses US of sneaky Wi-Fi imperialism

Clyde

Cuba

It's time to let Cuba in from the cold.

Time to bring them into the international community as full member.

Time for Europe to help overcome the far_too_long dearth of modern goods in that country.

Cuba have a health service that any Western country would be proud of, and that's under severe international restrictions.

If the USA want to continue their sad isolation, let the wall continue there, feed their pique laden righteousness. But let the rest of the world deal with Cuba as with any other country.

Never lose that .uk again: Decade-long renewals OK'd

Clyde

1 yr is retrograde

What's the point of a 1 year subscription ?

The 2 year is already cheap enough. What are resellers of these going to charge ? The big ones make only a few pennies on a 2 year sale, they're not going to cut their prices by 50%.

If you can't afford £6 or £7 for a domain, you shouldn't be bothering about it in the first place.

Also, I agree : after 10 years a lot of smaller business will have changed their contact details. Maybe a 5 year deal. But I don't see what the problem is with the standard 2 year subscription as it is at present.

Robot cop tackles mystery tinfoil poo-bomb bandit

Clyde

Toronto ???

It was Whitby, Ont. Don't think the Whitby folk would like being described as Toronto.

Anyway don't these bomb cops have some sort of spectrum analyser ?

I thought these airport machines can tell whether it's semtex, toothpaste, or whatnot.

Premium-rate calls watchdog to join battle against pirates

Clyde

Premium rates calls watchdog

When I read "The UK's regulator of premium rate services", I thought, great, finally someone is doing something about these premium rate phone call scams.

How wrong could I have been.

All 4G telcos must hit 98% coverage, Ofcom told

Clyde

98%

Yep, 98% of the UK population lives within about 60% of the land mass.

So areas outwith the SE and major cities are forgotten about, again.

Credit card companies plan to sell your purchase data to advertisers

Clyde

Ref : Now ask me ...

"If I need to use credit to purchase something, I get a cash loan. The banker never gets a chance to observe what I do with the funds. Nor should he."

Who in god's own name DOWNVOTED this post ?

They should be handed over, plastic cards held high, all personal pecadillos exposed, no shame whatever in their brainless faces, to the grasping gormless godforsaken minions of the Great Lord High Finance and His Prophetness on Earth - the Most Exalted Anonymity of the Financial Services Industry, on whose blessed being we pour all our wealth and trust.

.

Scot.gov plots its own superintranet

Clyde

Competent

The SNP government is actually well regarded as a competent administrator, getting things done quietly, on time and within budget.

For those projects within its control.

So, if they've announced they're going to do something, I will fully expect it will happen, and just as they've planned.

Tosh Thai hard drive plant swamped

Clyde

A problem already

Seems all the disties in the UK for us "small" IT businesses, have already pulled whatever stocks they have off their websites. None available from the likes of Ingram Micro at all. So much for customer loyalty - deny supply without any warning.

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