* Posts by Chris G

6754 publicly visible posts • joined 18 Oct 2007

Hey you know what the smart-home world really needs right now? Yup, Google screaming in

Chris G

Store to landfill

How many times since the '70s have companies tried to introduce some kind of ' one unit to rule them all'?

Only now it not only plays multi media but tries to sell you stuff while stealing your personal details and selling those to others.

I suppose eventually reality will catch up with sci-fi and everyone will be a part of the IoT from birth when they are fitted with their personal (surveillance) chip, fortunately I doubt I will live to see it.

Until then these things will not really take off, particularly at the moment as more and more people are becoming aware of what companies are doing with their data.

It seems to me to mostly be the middle aged who embrace this crap and have no clue about what is going on.

Russian 'troll factory' firebombed – but still fit to fiddle with our minds

Chris G

The alleged perpetrator was last seen driving away in a Cadillac Escalade with blacked out windows.

Facebook's new always-listening home appliance kit Portal doesn't do Facebook

Chris G

Re: "Facebook doesn't listen to, view, or keep the contents of your Portal video calls,"

But Alexa probably can!

One should ask the question; 'Why has Zuckerborg gone for Alexa?'

Which? That smart home camera? The one with the vulns? Really?

Chris G

Re: common place

From the Which website; "Which? test labs

Every product we test and score at Which? goes to our independent test labs to put be through its paces by qualified and experienced experts. This ensures that everything is tested fairly, impartially and consistently, so that we can continually offer the best advice to consumers."

It looks as though they need someone to test their testers.

Personally I have never been that impressed with a lot of their recommendations.

Convenient switch hides an inconvenient truth

Chris G

The cardboard boxes are usually on top of an air mattress that has vents in it, they allow the air to escape at a rate that helps to decelerate your falling body. The cardboard boxes do the same thing by crumpling the way a car body in a crash would. I used to do Western re-enactment, one of our stunts was being shot off a cabin roof, I can tell you it works well, unless you miss the centre!

US mobe owners will get presidential text message at 2:18 pm Eastern Time

Chris G

Spooky

"Not sure why it needed to be called the "Presidential" warning test. That part is kind of spooky."

It's part of a new Whitearse project to extend Tweeting to all phones in the US and no, opting out won't be an option.

Location, location, location... technologies under the microscope

Chris G

Re: BlueTooth? No Thanks

I literally only use Bluetooth to interrogate my solar power system, before that was installed a few weeks ago I had never used it and don't need it for anything else.

NFC= No Fecking Cash, for me cash is king, if I don't have the cash for it in my pocket, I'm not buying it.

Chris G

I think I prefer an irritating shop assistant over a system like that, in fact I even prefer the shop assistants who ignore you over yet another dumb tracking system.

At one store I used to use frequently, to get to shirts and trousers from the entrance, meant passing through the lingerie section. This was deliberately designed so that you would have to meander past the maximum number of stands, I wouldn't appreciate ' targetted ads' for lady's lingerie.

I prefer my lingerie with a girl in it.

Robot Operating System gets the Microsoft treatment

Chris G

"The machine can recognise and steer towards the nearest person, but

the weapon system is currently being debugged.

As soon as it is ready we are offering 'Termination as a Service'™

New theory: The space alien origins of vital bio-blueprints for dinosaurs. And cats. And humans. And everything else

Chris G

Re: Never make assumptions

Or maybe it was a long-term investment by a bloke in an invisible suit, starting up new hunting grounds.

Swedish ISP spanked for sexist 'distracted boyfriend' advert for developer jobs

Chris G

Re: I'm torn here

"On the other hand, for frak's sake why does advertising always seem to start with "hey, we can use a girl !""

Because advertisers all know sex sells, they are too lazy most of the time to try to think of anything else and most of them have the mentality of a teenaged boy (at best).

I think advertisers belong in the same slimy, stagnant pool as lawyers; they over charge, are frugal with or misrepresent the truth and have inflated opinions of their worth.

Canadian security boss ain't afraid of no Huawei, sees no reason for ban

Chris G

Re: Canadians

@AC, I was thinking the same, Oz tends to follow the States like a brown nosed puppy, Canada is a bit brighter and has little to gain by disguising protectionism as security issues.

How do some of the best AI algorithms perform on real robots? Not well, it turns out

Chris G

"All of these things are still just statistical models."

Exactly! and any of them that have a useful function, in real terms is a simple tool, when you compare the usefulness to say, a screwdriver, without which getting a screw into a piece of wood, would be next to impossible, then, the current applicability of most AIs is not that great. The alternative to a screwdriver would be a hammer, cruder and likely to cause damage, whereas the alternatives to most AI uses so far are often better, quicker and more efficient.

HMRC contractor scores IR35 payout after yet another taxman blunder

Chris G

Re: The UK Tax Code is hideously over-complicated

They will never simplify taxation. If everything is laid out simply and clearly they will have no cover for their mistakes when they make them (not if).

Complexity is the civil servant's friend.

UKIP doubled price of condoms for sale at party conference

Chris G

Made in the EU

UKIP flogs latex love gloves: Because Brexit means Brexit

Chris G

Re: Once UK rejoins the EU in few years

If Europe is in a war with Russia, the only resource the UK will have is glass, that and a few radioactive Highland or Welsh sheep.

The UK is only leaving the EU not NATO.

Chris G

Re: Internet rolls

I personally am not part of any establishment media or otherwise, I generally distrust the mainstream media as they tend to take whatever stance their owners and the Establishment want them to (in my opinion).

Most of the remainers that I know tend to be people who have some understanding of free trade, co-operation with international partners and the fact that Europe as a community is far stronger than the sum of it's parts both strategically and economically. Remainers tend not to be xenophobic eugenicists and understand a concept known as hybrid strength.

Go wave a flag.

Chris G

@ RobertLongshaft

"Remoaners - YOU LOST. LOSERS. GET OVER IT"

So, what exactly do you think you have won?

Chris G

Re: Don't need a condom.....

Farage's face on the condoms would be perfect for back door entry.

The curious sudden rise of free US election 'net security guardians

Chris G

If my experience with Symantec is anything to go by, by the time the program has finished vetting, the election will be over.

As for FB they don't give anything for free!

US cities react in fury to FCC's $2bn break for 5G telcos: We'll be picking up the tab, say officials

Chris G

Pronunciation

So how exactly do you pronounce Pai?

Something like Pay- mee?

I wonder what kind of job he will have when he leaves his current position?

These questions and others should be answered by an FBI agent, but it won't happen.

Still using Skype? Good news! After HOURS of meetings, Microsoft reckons it knows when you're Not Active

Chris G

If it ain't broke....

Don't fix it. Has been my mantra in Feedback for years.

Now it seems, if it ain't broke they now break it so that they can fix it.

No, that Sunspot Solar Observatory didn't see aliens. It's far more grim

Chris G

Re: I've seen this story somewhere before.

Sooo, let me get this right.

You're saying they've arrested Freddie Kruger?

That's demons not aliens is NM on a Hellmouth?

HP Ink should cough up $1.5m for bricking printers using unofficial cartridges – lawsuit

Chris G

Lexmark next

I hope they go after Lexmark and all of the other printer manufacturers who make it almost impossible to print if you use anything other than one of their overpriced rip off cartridges

The printer companies would probably make more money in the long run, if they made the ink and the cost of printing more economical. People would be less loathe to print things off and would use the damn things more often rather than only when they need to.

I want to buy a coffee with an app – how hard can it be?

Chris G

Re: Top notch

I'm kinda curious as to what permissions all of these coffee and bus apps want, before GDPR kicked in I was in Madrid and as I visit there fairly often I thought I would get the tappy tap tap app, on hitting install the permissions it wanted were everything on my phone including contacts, my bank details and card, the keys to my car and my wife when I was working away at weekends.

I didn't bother, particularly because I can wave my debit card at a ticket machine and get a one day ticket for a few Euros. Glad I live in the country and only go to the city when I feel like it for a bit of culture or a good curry.

Got any ecsta-sea? Boffins get octopuses high on MDMA – for science, duh

Chris G

Re: Humans in Ibiza

I have just retired after 15 years in Ibiza, some of my work included personal security and accompanying clients to clubs.

A lot of the kids take only ecstasy and drink water but by the end of the evening, without alcohol they end up having sex in the streets and on the beach, a lot of the ones who drink with it become too out of it to even contemplate sex so I think the 'I love everyone' part of ecstasy effects does serve to lower inhibitions in as much as it raises libido enough to overcome inhibitions.

No I have tried tried it myself, I quit mind altering drugs at the end of the '70s before 'e's became a thing but talking to enough people who have and observation is the basis for what I said.

Chris G

Humans in Ibiza

Will mix MDMA with vodka and redbull and occasionally add viagra to that mix, I wonder what effect that cocktail will have on an octopus?

Balcony diving into a pool should have been included. Balcony diving shows clearly how much the normal inhibitions and even fear to reckless behaviour are reduced by MDMA.

Garbage collection – in SPAAACE: Net snaffles junk in first step to clean up Earth's orbiting litter

Chris G

@ Credas

Great! Now you have gone and created a new jobsworth position for some creep, I can see the wanted ad now: Wanted Orbital Hygiene Officer, must have LEO and HEO experience.

Man cuffed for testing fruit with bum cheek pre-purchase

Chris G

Bottom line

He was ass uming the fruit rather than consuming it.

"Loss prevention employee"? WTF

The Reg chats with Voyager Imaging Team member Dr Garry E Hunt

Chris G

Boffin, Pioneer and a 'Name' in the galaxy

For the foreseeable future no other Brit has his name in Interstellar space, in addition to which his work has changed how we track weather here on Earth.

All that mucking about in space has contributed so much to us Earthworms.

Revealed: The billionaire baron who’ll ride Elon’s thrusting erection to the Moon and back

Chris G

Re: This counts as _not_ going to the Moon

Bomber on the Moon; I stand corrected, I never actually read the original 'reporting' in the sport, I could never quite lower my standards enough to read it. Some of the Bulgarian items were not bad though.

Chris G

Re: there is a big, big, difference

@ Pascal Monett

Considering Musky's record with recovering first stages, he probably has more chance of developing a lander than any of the other privateers.

Maybe, his intentions for a Mars landing are why he began with landing on Earth.

Chris G

Re: This counts as _not_ going to the Moon

Better still, lying in the dust and making 'Moon angels'.

I wonder if they'll bring back a photo of a Tesla parked next to the B52?

Boffins ask for £338m to fund quantum research. UK.gov: Here's £80m

Chris G

Re: Quibbling

It's pretty certain they knew they would get a fraction of what they asked for (after al they are boffins so thoeretically not stupid) , so they thought of a sufficiently large number to present to the treasury and most likely got more than they expected.

The UK gov has a long and dishonourable record of not supporting our top scientists, I suggest a proportion of what they do get from the Treasury be spent on lottery tickets, they are more likely to provide more funds later.

How an augmented reality tourist guide tried to break my balls

Chris G

Re: Dead trees never failed anyone

I worked as an airframe engineer on light aircraft some decades back, I was the only guy in the company who liked going for a test flight with the chief in anything. The usual comment was 'I'm not going up in that, I worked on it'.

One of my tasks as 'co-pilot' on a test flight was to go through the check lists so I knew if anything had been missed.

I also had lots of free flying hours in my log in a wide range of light aircraft up to and including a BAC 111 belonging to a Saudi prince.

New MeX-Files: The curious case of an evacuated US solar lab, the FBI – and bananas conspiracy theories

Chris G

Re: The Lord is Coming Soon

I AM ALREADY HERE!!

I will be at the The World's End Pub tonight.

Please bring all requests in a plain envelope containing the request and an item of value ( gold or gems)

Be early! Time is short!

Chris G

I can reveal

It's aliens, they are invading us as we speak. I have been fighting them for weeks, they are very small, their craft look like mosquitoes. I have been using a tennis racket to kill them but they keep sending more.

Bug spray helps to clog their engine intakes after a while they crash. They tried to talk to me by tellypathy I could hear tiny voicesin my head but I ignore them and kill them anyway.Don't be fooled if you see a mosquito it's an alien kill it.My cat told me they are from another galaxy where they have no food.

Former Detroit IT boss sent down 20 months for bathroom bung bonanza

Chris G
Headmaster

Gifted is not a verb!

gifted

ˈɡɪftɪd/

adjective

adjective: gifted

having exceptional talent or natural ability.

"a gifted amateur musician"

synonyms: talented, skilful, skilled, accomplished, expert, consummate, master(ly), first-rate, polished, adroit, dexterous, able, competent, capable, apt, deft, adept, proficient;

Wow, great invention: Now AI eggheads teach machines how to be sarcastic using Reddit

Chris G

Re: I know more than a few people

An individual with a low SQ (sarcasm quotient) would be my old boss, his sense of humour was minimal too, being limited to sacking people, that was the only time he would smile.

GDPR v2 – Gradually Diminishing Psychotic Robots: Brussels kills Terminator apocalypse

Chris G

We need a list

We could call it " 10 Reasons why terminators are essential to developing AI" you can put any old crap in it, including how it can do god's work and post it on You Tube. In no time it will have enough likes from all kinds of morons including the terminally religious to make it a popular idea.

A good acronym would help, say, Super Artificially Intelligent Terminators (SAINT) then we could have the cyber apocalypse in the name of dog.

On the other hand just ban them all and limit war to Presidents armed with a pointed stick fighting in a cage.

Guys, you need to sit down and have a chat: Skype rolls out SMS a week after Microsoft

Chris G

"Now there is discord"

I just looked for that in Google play, no sign of it!!

I'm currently running droid7 and I keep getting the pop up offering me the SMS my pc service. So far I have ignored it but as I am not an insider I will have look see.

Being able to SMS a phone from my PC would be more useful.

Has anyone seen REM lately? No, we mean rare earth minerals

Chris G

It will be some time before it's necessary to go deep sea diving for rare earths, Australia has a lot plus vanadium which is likely to go hand in hand with rare earths in battery tech. Indonesia, Argentina and Canada all have significant reserve s of REMs. It's not only refining that is a problem though, developing the mining and local processing has considerable environmental impact too. The Investor Intel site has some of the best info on REMs plus good advice on where to put your money.

Generally Disclosing Pretty Rapidly: GDPR strapped a jet engine on hacked British Airways

Chris G

Going by a lot of British websites I have visited, I think a lot of British companies are hoping that after brexit the GDPR regs are going to go away. Many of them are trying to make it as difficult as possible to opt out of 'Data sharing' with them but I think they are going to be disappointed, the UK can't really afford to ignore it, as so much of it's future business is still going to depend on complying with Europe.

AI beats astroboffins at sniffing out fast radio bursts amid the universe's clutter

Chris G

"Nothing local?"

Considering some FRBs have been estimated at 10^33 joules something like 10 years worth of our sun's output, 'local' would need some quite exceptional sun screen for a millisecond or two.

Y'know what? VoIP can also be free from pesky regulation – US judges

Chris G

@ Lee D You are right, in fact so much of how life is lived, including paying utility bils general purchasing, education, paying taxes is all done via the internet. Effectively it is and should be considered as a utility, tecnical nitpicking over how a communication is delivered aside, the internet in much of the world affects more aspects of an individual life than any other single utility.

If deregulation means it becomes difficult for people to carry out basic aspects of their lives because the means of communication they need is too expensive or quality is poor then it needs to be regulated to minimum standards and price controls.

$200bn? Make that $467bn: Trump threatens to balloon proposed bonus China tech tariffs

Chris G

Not so much another brick in the wall

As continuing the wall to keep out Mexicans right around the US.

Trump has already built the wall in the North to piss off the Canadians, made tariffs against the EU and China , extended sanctions against Russia and a good part of the Middle East, thinks Africa is a shit hole and does a good job of alienating most of South America, India is doing OK with China and Russia, Turkey may well be on it's way out of Nato so he's well on the way to making America great again.

No idea what he is going to do to piss off Arctic polar bears and Antarctic penguins but will definitely come up with something.

USA! USA!

Louder! We can't hear you behind that wall.

UK.gov: NHS should be compensated by firms using its data goldmine

Chris G

Re: But.. but..

"Yes, the NHS may have lots of potentially lucrative data, but it's our confidential, and sometimes proprietary data."

Of course this should be pursued under GDPR but by the time anything gets processed, the NHS will have been Brexited out of GDPR so expect patients rights to all but disappear in the interests of rewarding the NHS.

Chris G

Re: How about...

Exactly!

"It will set guidelines on how patient data is to be protected and include 10 commercial principles detailing how companies should work with the health sector, and what the NHS expects in return, for instance discounted access, equity or royalty schemes."

The above sentence makes it abundantly clear the gov' doesn't give a rats about the providers and owners of this data.

First it is only setting guidelines not regulations.

The principles are commercial not concerned with individual privacy.

What is the NHS getting out of it, not what benefit is there for the patients.

When will it get to the point where your treatment will be limited because the data has no value? You're no longer a patient you are an NHS product.

Benchmark smartphone drama: We wouldn't call it cheating, says Huawei, but look, everyone's at it

Chris G

Re: I'm shocked!

I have based the purchase of my last two phones on them having the features I need and then as many reviews from buyers as I can find. The opinions of tech journo's in Wired et al mean nothing to me as my criteria are not theirs.

The benchmarking likewise means little to me as I have never bothered to learn what they signify.

Ultimately statements from the manufacturer about ; how white your knickers will be washed or how long your batteries will last is just marketing, if something is so new there are no recommendations from buyers, it's a case of you pays yer money and takes yer chances.

I've seen the future of consumer AI, and it doesn't have one

Chris G

Re: An "AI powered cooking assistant"?

"consumers may have had to open up six or seven apps to get the help they need cooking, including nutrition information, recipes, shopping lists, how-to videos, and remote control apps for various devices", but now they can "enjoy a single elegant journey".

hat that paragraph also implies is that people are too stupid to learn, that they are being saved from opening all those apps every time they cook.

I can't speak for millennials I'm too old, but I know a lot of people who enjoy cooking including some who are young and all of them like to learn so that they can cook any given recipe again.

A great deal of the AI that I see reported seems to have been a bright idea from a bunch of tech bros who actually know only what they have read in Wikipeadia about the subject to which they are trying to apply their AI du jour.