* Posts by Chris G

6754 publicly visible posts • joined 18 Oct 2007

Be careful, 007. It’s just had a new coat of paint: Today is D-day for would-be Qs to apply to MI6

Chris G

I must confess that 'Harnessing Amanda Holdem' made me pause for a moment.

Working for the intelligence services is akin to Hotel California.

Astroboffins think strangely porous boulders found on asteroid Ryugu may be the stuff of proto-planets

Chris G

Pumice

Is produced from mostly volvanoes that have low silica lava which is low viscosity but has a high percentage of gases dissolved in it.

The gases coming out of solution are what provides the pressure for the eruption in the first place.

I can't see how a similar mechanism would function on a low gravity planetisimal, shirley it would more likely be an agglomeration of particles loosely held together to account for the porousity?

Amazon hit with antitrust lawsuit after DC AG says TTFN to price fixing

Chris G

Re: Retail Price Maintenance

I doubt if that makes any difference to Amazon's T&Cs for British sellers, worth investigating.

Every time I look for something on Amazon it is usually 10-15% higher than other places.

In addition Amazon's shipping in rural Spain is rubbish, at least hslf the time goods are sent back to the sender without contact, an SMS or even a thought.

IBM Cloud resets ‘Days Since Last Major Incident’ clock to zero – after just five days

Chris G

When is a cloud

A kludge?

Snowden was right, rules human rights court as it declares UK spy laws broke ECHR

Chris G

Re: The UK has one of the most robust and transparent oversight regimes

But transparent to whom?

Most of the overseeing is of the population not the other way round.

Chris G

"Big Brother icon because he's probably here in the dungeons of El Reg Forums and Comments taking notes."

I suspect the clerks in MI5 have been replaced by an AI that looks for key words and phrases now but I would expect most comments sections and forums to be viewed regularly in some way.

Finance Bill amendments to curb umbrella company malpractice fail to get traction in UK Parliament

Chris G

Re: Employment Agency Act 1973

The problems are those of policing and enforcing the regulations, by the time they get to the individuals, they are either gone or bankrupt or on a beach in the Phillipines.

Nature is healing: Shhh. It's a lesser spotted Pi Bork nesting behind the bushes at IKEA

Chris G

Bork

Presumably, whoever installed it, never looked at the instructions and had some bits left over that were thrown away.

We’ve found them! Govt reinstates records previously missing from the Police National Computer

Chris G

Re: Well, the data was recovered

The back up was probably a pendrive somebody found down the back of a bus seat.

Hard cheese: Stilton snap shared via EncroChat leads to drug dealer's downfall

Chris G

If he got 13yrs6months, he was hardly small scale.

I also doubt the fuzz had to do an expensive database search, I am guessing they already had a palm print, suspected him and just needed some corroberation, he handed it to them.

Chris G

A nice change to see the cops actually doing good police work.

One more scally off the street.

Arm freezes hiring until Nvidia takeover, cancels everyone's 'wellbeing' allowance

Chris G

Morale boost

This is an exceptionally blinkered move by management driven by bean counting.

A company at the top of it's game and a desirable acquisition destroys the morale of the people who put it there without explaining anything to them.

Then is prepared to hold itself in stasis for a yearand wont even fill vacant positions that are possibly crucial.

Still, what do I know? I haven't got an MBA.

When and where to see the Super Blood Moon in a total lunar eclipse this week

Chris G

Re: Oh come *on*...

Disappointing considering I recently overhauled and polished my four incher.

China announces ‘crackdown’ on Bitcoin mining and trading

Chris G

Re: Ponzi

@John Brown

The American Dream™ is more of a carrot nowadays and many of those who have achieved the dream already are holding the stick and they keep making it longer.

Just what is the poop capacity of an unladen sparrow? We ask because one got into the office and left quite a mess

Chris G

@Graham Dawson

It may be because a couple of trendy designers have started build houses with 'upcycled' containers, never let a trendy designer type get hold of anything secondhand that is currently a bargain.

Chris G

Re: Just what is the poop capacity of an unladen sparrow?

I have no specific knowledge of passerine pooping propensity bit I do remember once reading that a robin can eat 14ft of worms in a day.I would imagine 14ft of processed worm produces a not dissimilar amount of poop.

Try mounting one of those electrified fly swats across the window opening.

Chris G

A shed for the ages could be a retired 20ft shipping container, they are usually cheap and the money you save can be used for tarting it up.

Second hand site offices are often up for sale too.

The Home Office will need to overturn a long legacy of failure to achieve ambition of all-digital border by 2025

Chris G

Re: Border hawk

"Next Up: The death penalty."

And maybe those Boncentration Bamps at Minehead.

Chris G

The problem here is

They are calling it digital, everyone knows proper UK gov' systems are called cyber.

One other stumbling block may be that shouting at it will not necessarily make it work.

Other stumbling blocks could include civil liberties, travel agencies in the UK and abroad being unable to make it work correctly or unable to understand it, and of course it's lack of competent leadership.

I would recommend looking for a job seeking baroness.

Google to venture where Apple soared and Microsoft crashed – physical retail

Chris G

Re: "Are you looking for anything in particular today, sir?"

Not so much 'Are you looking for anything' as 'We are going to sell you X based on your browsing, viewing and social media history.....

There's a fair chance that a Google shop will double as a purchasing behavioural lab where they will analyse every step, eye movement and finger twitch, so that they can sell your in store shopping behaviour to other shops.

Chris G

Re: Do you...

Does that mean you will be greeted by (user) name as you approach the entrance.

Then you will be 'invited' to provide fingerprint, retinal, stool and blood samples to make your entry and journey experience in the store more rewarding.

I can only think they have decided that having scraped your entire online identity, it isn't enough so they want a physical presence to scrape too.

Conflicting messaging overshadows NHS Digital's attempts to inform public about patient data slurp

Chris G

Re: "We do not sell data. We only seek to recoup costs"

The first thing I thought too.

The description of why they are extracting everyone's data is also deliberately misleading, some of what they say may help to support or improve healthcare in some way but at no point do they make clear, the data is being passed on to third parties.

Those third parties may not be a part of the Health Service and also may not be limited as to what they can do with the information.

This week, Apple CEO Tim Cook faced surprisingly tough questioning from judge

Chris G

Re: Works for Apple

@Pascal

In Zuckerborg's case, I would settle for just watching somebody slapping him.

Daily, for several years and with a wet halibut.

Proposed amendments to UK Finance Bill target rogue umbrella companies ripping off contractors after IR35

Chris G

Re: Pennies and Pounds

VAT?

Ah! Now that the UK is free of it's Euroshackles it can charge and abolish VAT.

Introduced in 1973, the old purchase tax( a wartime introduction to discourage spending on non essentials IIRC) was replaced by VAT and administered by HMC&E was more draconian than the Inland Revenue.

I wonder what could replace it?

Chris G

The entire system and how work and employment is thought of needs to be revised.

Why shouldn't each and every individual have the right to decide whether they want to ne an employee or sell their services/labour as an independent provider of that work or service?

The main reasons for things like IR35 and similar rules designed by HMRC and before them the Inland Revenue are because they are terrified someone is saving a couple of pennies and it means the HMRC has to work a bit harder, surely thay is what WE pay them for.

Maybe there is room also for a total rethink on how to tax and produce fair contributions from contractors and self employed persons.

American insurance giant CNA reportedly pays $40m to ransomware crooks

Chris G

Re: $40m to the extortionists

Why wouldn't they pay a handsome bonus to a crew that generates business for them?

Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lunar lander set to ride a SpaceX Falcon 9 to the Moon

Chris G

Re: What does Firefly want to deliver to the moon?

I know a few suits who would benefit from delivery to the moon.

Boffins improve on tech that extracts DC power from ambient Wi-Fi

Chris G

Medical lmplants

Since 2017 there has been work ongoing developing a bio-supercapacitor at UCLA, using the charge from ions in bodily fluids.

That makes far more sense than relying on a body spending enough time in range of a wifi source.

Think of instances like the Texas cold spell and the consequent failure of all services, using energy sourced from the host body is a more obvious route.

Holy margins, Batman: Pandemic tech prices balloon as demand outweighs stocks and suppliers get greedy

Chris G

Cheap at twice the price

Compared to the alleged £65,000 that two fourpacks of bogroll went for on ebay last year.

I wish nothing but ill to greedy bastards who capitalise on misfortune.

How much would you pay me to develop a COVID tracking app that actually works? Ah, thought so: nothing

Chris G

Re: Tea....

First was a crime against British culture in calling that British tea ( I suspect she couldn't point to Britain on a map if it was union jack coloured).

Second was crime against humanity, whatever that was in that bowl it was not a tea, possibly it consituted a threat to US national security.

I can only feel sorry for the child following her instructions.

Hi, Congress. FTC here. It would be so wonderful if you could let us recover money stolen from victims by crooks

Chris G

Snake oil?

I am sure the critters on the Commerce commitee understand 13b fully. They will also understand that if the FTC has full powers to go after and recover money falsely obtained from customers, it may impact some of their contributors.

Oh Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes-Benz? Detroit waits for my order, you'd better make amends

Chris G

Re: Dear Lord...

Euromillions is something like €73 milion tonight but it still won't be enough to guarantee you can employ someone who will push a plug in correctly every time.

Lessons have not been learned: Microsoft's Modern Comments leave users reaching for the rollback button

Chris G

Re: "Modern Commenting"

Just like the fashion industry, there is no though of asking the users/wearers what they would like to see next (if anything), it is just foisted on them with a reluctant suck it and see attitude.

ASUS baffles customer by telling them thermal pad thickness is proprietary

Chris G

Re: This sounds like ...

Or a CSR who didn't know the answer and couldn't bothered to find out so just came up with what may well be a stock answer.

Space Force's data must flow: Microsoft Azure and Ball Aerospace demo satellite to battlefield linkup

Chris G

Re: Learning from history

Add to that any campaigns that were prosecuted for a year or more and have never had a conclusive outcome.

If there is ever a large scale and serious war with a comparable enemy, satellite Comms among other things will not last long. Things will rapidly devolve to who has the the best people on the ground using reasonable kit effectively or all out thermo nuclear war.

Beyond video to interactive, personalised content: BBC is experimenting with rebuilding its iPlayer in WebAssembly

Chris G

Re: Personal adverts?

"allows the content of programmes to change according to the requirements of each individual audience member."

Fantastic! Does that mean when I am in front of it, it will switch off, delete itself and slap the director?

I happily weaned myself off of regular TV some twenty years ago, I was getting tired of repeats, poor programming and predictable scripts etc etc.

But then I have always been a miserable bigger.

Blue Origin sets its price: $1.4m minimum for trip into space

Chris G

I wonder what an individual's carbon footprint is for that three minutes in 'space'?

Apple's macOS is sub-par for security, Apple exec Craig Federighi tells Epic trial

Chris G

Ratner effect

I wonder if Federighi has ever heard of it?

I also wonder if he actually believes in what he says?

Parliament demands to know the score with Fujitsu as Post Office Horizon scandal gets inquiry with legal teeth

Chris G

Re: At last!

Paula Venells, all of the Post Office staff who aided her, the post office lawyers and Fujitsu including the individuals involved should all be in court for their malicious and criminal actions to cover up the shortcomings of the system and the failures to address them in a an honest and professional way.

However, in my crystal ball all I see is a bucket with a brush sticking out of the top.

Australian Federal Police hiring digital evidence retrieval specialists: Being a very good boy and paws required

Chris G

It's possible Hampshire county is a bit over the top or perhaps Oz is more law abidng.

Chris G

Digital Media dogs

A rather harsh way to describe Tik tok.

Chris G

Bears

Have up to 100 times more sniffing capacity than dogs, why don't the police try training bears for this work.

Just imagine what they might find.

Australia could train the indigenous Drop bears who could not only only search out contraband but also terrify perps into submission.

Yahoo! Japan! offers! free! comment!-moderation!-as!-a!-service! API!

Chris G

Re: By any other name

" prioritises posts that provoke positive discussions"

It all depends on who decides what the priorities are and what constitutes 'positive'.

There are many publications that use the 'Does not conform to community guidelines' as a takedown mechanism for anything they dislike or that conflicts with their particular stance.

I presume there must be a way to set parameters, otherwise how can it work for each and every use?

The three different organisations mentioned in the article can hardly be using exactly the same parameters and Yahoo Japan is zapping 20,000 posts a day which seems a lot to me.

Chris G

By any other name

This is a system of censorship that seems to be used to promote a narrative or theme.

While the need to vet and moderate comments is both useful and necessary, the article's description of this moderation Algorithm gives me the impression that it is being used to direct conversation rather than encourage open discussion.

Oracle sues Envisage claiming unauthorized database use amid licensing crackdown

Chris G

The licencing, as a service business model is comparable to loan sharking, you never get to own what you are paying for and support and updating is often uncertain and sometimes a mine field

If I was still in business, I would do everything I could to avoid licenced products.

I like to be in control of the tools I use.

Kiss goodbye to privacy forever when brain-implanted comms gear becomes the norm – guru Whit Diffie

Chris G
Trollface

Re: "you won't be competitive without it"

Being competitive and/or losing privacy would be the least of everyone's problems.

What do you do when ransomware is in your head?

Will there be a place for infosec psychiatry?

Reports link Bill Gates' departure from Microsoft board in 2020 with probe into employee affair

Chris G

Re: Amicably

That's what I was trying to figure out and why would that lead to Gates resigning from board's of directors?

We'd love to report on the outcome of the CREST exam cheatsheet probe, but UK infosec body won't publish it

Chris G

Re: Ransomeware Required

But, but, that's not very ethical.

Are you ready to take a stand? Flexispot E7 motorised desk should handle whatever you dump on it – but it's not cheap

Chris G

Re: Motor?

Nothing worse?

A boardroom?