* Posts by Mage

9265 publicly visible posts • joined 23 Nov 2007

Surface Mini fondleslab farewelled

Mage Silver badge

Microsoft

Not a HW or design Style company.

Software and Services.

NIST shows off one-way photon-passing metamaterial

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Amazing

And they told me one way mirrors are impossible, aerials are exactly the same on Transmit or Receive Etc.

I suspect though they can't make very big pieces of this!

New research: Flash is DEAD. Yet resistance isn't futile - it's key

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Re: Nobody wants storage

I've no wish to trust faceless corporations, only have access where there is suitable infrastructure and rent the storage forever. Or trust someone not to to delete / copy and trust backups.

Also most people are about 1 x JCB from losing their cloud connection.

I can write more convincing SF & F than cloud marketing.

I have a spare bridge if you want to buy it.

Which is faster?

Ordinary post of 2T Byte to a Data centre or 2T down any affordable fibre even in 20 years time?

P.S. I rent hosting too. It might be in Kansas. It was supposed to be in the UK. But who knows next week.

Cloud is just renting Hosting with free arm waving, whale song and joss sticks.

Mage Silver badge
Paris Hilton

Re: 1TB on a *single* chip

Yes,

But having started with 5M byte HDD, 64K RAM and 4MHz clock 8 bit CPU, with ASCII graphics, 300 bps or 1200/75 modem and worked up to multiple HHD (some are 2,000,000 M Byte), 8,000,000,0000K RAM and multiple core 64 bit cpu at 2,400MHz with dual 1600 x 1200 32bit screens (or dual 19200 x 1080) with GPU using 128,000K RAM and 8,000,0000 / 1,000,000 bps fixed microwave link modem (nearly 9 years for the link) at a fraction of the price of 1982 (real inflation cost) I'm now expecting stuff better than SF and at poundland prices.

I know no satisfying some people.

Pity the software is mostly just prettier than 1988 and full of bugs :-(

I had FutureNet Schematic Capture, Spice, Spreadsheets, Wordprocessor, DTP, CAD / Vector drawing, email via X.25 pad, BT Telecom gold / Bitnet (300bps modem!). My last taped up MPU board was 1982.

Mage Silver badge

Re: Sometimes I wonder...

I want my entire BluRay, DVD, CD, Vinyl, cassettes, 78s, film photos & slides in original format or digitised losslessly, plus all the files I've been saving since 1988 which includes all email since about 2001 (don't ask why).

I'd like to save whole websites as the archive.org wayback machine often doesn't have the associated download files.

An afford and fast so I can have complete copies elsewhere easily.

A bonus if it can slip pass U S or Chinese Customs as something innocuous.

1TB is piddling amount even though my first HDD was only 5 M byte (in 1982)

SUPER EARTH possibly home to life FOUND in our 'solar backyard'

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Re: Solar backyard

Maybe we are the local compost heap. Might explain lack of visitors?

What would the gravity be though?

Speed of light slower than we thought? Probably not

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Facepalm

Maxwell

Later Einstein.

The guy is making weird assumptions. Every measurement has backed Maxwell's and Einstein's Theories and Predilections arrived at from different directions.

We need to know more about Super nova. Observations should be from a very safe distance.

SPACE: The FINAL FRONTIER. These are the TEN-YEAR images of star probe Cassini

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Flame

Brilliant.

Next we need some nice portable Fusion Reactor and then see what we can do next.

Amazing what we have achieved with practically only fireworks and Electronics. OK, Ion Drives, some amazing Mathematics, materials science and Mechanical Engineering.

A Fusion reactor power source would really jazz up our ion drives.

Google kills its successful social network. Yes, we mean Orkut

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Coat

Re: C'mon, it's not that bad...

Or just not bother at all.

Maplin Electronics sold for £85m to Rutland Partners

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Too much junk

It's improved slightly recently

But too much junk, too much crap "boys toys" too many dodgy bits of kit that you wonder about the CE

In Ireland (6 shops?) Consistently too much stuff that is for UK market and doesn't work at all here or even illegal (CE ! gear)

Massively overpriced.

I unless they stop trying to compete with a Franken imaginary combination Poundland-B&Q-PCWorld they are doomed. They need to do better tools, Chinese EBay prices (it's the EXACT same stuff) and compete with RS & Farnell etc.

The Disco & Sound & PA and Security & Security TV & Hobby / Ham Radio are good categories, but need to be done properly.

Aereo has to pay TV show creators? Yes. This isn't rocket science

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Re: average user suffers again

Nah, it's Cable TV. Cable co have to pay.

Yet another WordPress vuln: Image furtler plugin lets BADNESS in

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Rule of thumb

Install as few plugins as possible on your CMS/Blogging platform.

LG drops G3 quad HD Android mobe with FRIGGIN' LASER camera

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Facepalm

Re: So, erm....

Well, I'd not try it in Turkey even with Laser off. Especially if you are Greek.

Insert other Countries and Nationalities of choice.

Mage Silver badge

Interesting

Can I get a 15" laptop with this resolution screen?

In terms of typing text with an external USB or BT real keyboard how many lines and columns (approx) is possible at normal paperback book font size or a little larger?

My Sony-Ericsson Xperia though refuses to wear out.

USB charger is prime suspect in death of Australian woman

Mage Silver badge

RCD

Only if she was standing in a puddle in bare feet. RCD detects a mismatch in L & N current. If say the metal on an MP3 player connects to live (L) and the mesh on earphones connects to neutral (N) and you have insulating footware (most is unless hobnailed) then the RCD only sees a normal load while the poor human is toasted.

Mage Silver badge
Flame

Two problems:

1) Fake CE marks

2) Crazy self certified CE marks (Amazon sell a Kindle charger with a CE mark that has USA twin Blade and breaks EMI /RFI limits. How can a USA only two blade plug PSU get a CE mark even though it does work on 240V?). Also Powerline/Homeplug tested on wrong basis of CE.

Google adds 'data protection' WARNING to Euro search results

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Other Search?

There are useful other search engines?

Mage Silver badge
Unhappy

I warned ye!

When it comes to Google people are less logical than with Apple.

I think they don't understand or else ignore concepts like "privacy", "regulation", "evil".

They are poisoning everyone's ability to search too by the automatic suggestions that seem impossible to turn off unless you log in. Type searches by only looking at keyboard?

They also corrupt search results with places you visited before. I want SEARCH, not a dammed "bookmarker service" polluted with adverts and wisdom of the crowd previous searches. Also I do not want to have to put -youtube on searches. I NEVER want to have videos or search for them.

Also

a) the original sites are ones that need changed if a privacy issue

b) why can't I sensibly search by value or date of document? (I know why, but still annoying)

c) Google's advertising (the reason they exist) will hardly be affected by properly following intention of regulations. They are obviously arrogant (WiFi Slurp of Street view).

d) They don't want to pay tax or be subject to any laws.

I'm conflicted as I need Google's YouTube (my own video sharing), Search and Translate. But I feel the "cost" of Search is very high. I wonder about Google Translate. Are they slurping all that to a special place (I don't SEND with Google Mail)? I think next I will host my own video. It's niche stuff of short duration so the bandwidth and storage isn't an issue.

In the olden days I used Altavista and Babel Fish.

In the very olden days the Librarian showed me how to use the Subject divisions of shelves and the two versions of card Indexes, Title and Author.

Wake up, grandad: All the techies use social media

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Victorians

Even invented Spam, shortly after installing Telegraphs to professionals rather than just in Post offices.

Mage Silver badge

Re: "Microsoft’s Office 365 is arguably the most complete example of this"

Sharepoint is pretty rubbish. A Wiki (which isn't much use unless the contributors are in different areas of the information or at quite different times) is better.

Some people I know use "private" Google Docs for Collaborative editing. I suspect it does all of "IBM Notes 9.0 Social Edition" better but I can't be sure. However the fact that it's Google doesn't make us happy, but we have not yet found a suitable (private) self hosted solution.

I prefer to use the term "Hosted". "Cloud" is a marketing term that means too many things or nothing. Basically you are renting Hosting, the only exception seems to be Google Docs, in that you are not renting hosting and have no control over applications etc.

Mage Silver badge
Devil

Headline

Gave me wrong impression. I was going to wade in a say yes there is a place for using SW & Internet for Collaborative working but Social Networks are not it.

Often too "Social Networks" is just a euphemism for Twitter & Facebook. Yes I know others exist. Collaboration needs a co-ordinator and privacy. Both these are deliberately lacking from "Social Networks". I was persuaded by Hosting Services boss in next Cubicle (I was in a very different part of the Company) to start a Blog and join Linkedin in 2007. Last year I packed in Linkedin. I still have a few "blogs" but really I admit they are just cheap vanity publishing, just more convenient than the various websites I'd had from maybe 1994.

Comcast Xfinity evil twin steals subscriptions

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Black Helicopters

UPC

UPC has a feature where UPC customers can "silently" get WiFi Access from other UPC cable customers providing (on by Default) the feature.

Ripe for fake WiFi spots (even on UPC Cable or DSL) and Man In the Middle attacks to steal all valuable credentials.

Also slows access as it's same WiFi channel. So can be used for semi DOS simply by running a connection with a deliberately weak (slow data rate) signal.

EFF is also proposing people run a "parallel" Free Public WiFi on the their WiFi/Router.

The problem is that WiFi security isn't "fit for purpose" for Public use unless you only use a suitable VPN over it as you can't know

a) If it's really who it claims to be

b) If it has MitM software, with which even HTTPS is vulnerable. I think only suitable well configured VPN is safe.

c) 3rd parties sniffing all the traffic is easier and more likely in a public space than in your living room. Though not impossible there.

One amazing reason why NASA boffins are celebrating Curiosity's 687th day on Mars

Mage Silver badge

BBC R4

Was it Saturday last BBC R4 had an interesting version of the Martian Chronicles?

Mars also features (briefly) in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. I think the R4 2 part version last two weeks better than Blade Runner. Though of course without the famous speech (not in book anyway).

Then there is Ben Bova "Mars" and "Return to Mars". Even the author of Biggles has a couple of Mars novels. I think also John Wyndham. Though a Barren Sterile place (apparently) it still somehow captures the imagination. Even if we don't send people (which seems possible but problematic, a one way trip for some Scientists in their 60s?) we should keep sending rovers.

Traffic lights, fridges and how they've all got it in for us

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Forseen long ago

1975 Shockwave Rider by John Brunner :Nick rewrites the "computer tapeworm"

Many others.

We don't learn well.

If Google remembers whom it has forgotten, has it complied with the ECJ judgment?

Mage Silver badge
Facepalm

Sigh

Google *IS* evil

and people are gullible.

I'm certainly not going to give them all my details! No wonder they launched the form.

not quite my impression of google

Passwords

Shift over, TV firms: LTE Broadcast will nuke current mobile telly tech

Mage Silver badge

But ...

It will be Pay TV only.

Not FTA.

3G has no Broadcast mode so inherently can't do it, nor can regular LTE. What they are offering is an extra on air interface broadcast mode integrated with LTE. It's really just "DTT" in an LTE Infrastructure.

This is very much more expensive than DTT. It would be far cheaper to have NOT sold 800MHz band and allowed more low power DTT "fill in" to give mobile DTT coverage. But the Mobile operators nor Government can't make money out of that. Only Arqiva. So no "Digital Dividend" (= Mobile Licence Fee to Regulator and nothing more).

Unfortunately with combination of Ofcom's "light touch Big Business friendly we don't care about consumer" regulation and Mobile Operators ambition to get part of Pay TV pie it will happen.

So you will have to pay £300 a year for poorer quality version of what is free today, just so portable coverage is better and to make Mobile operators money. Logically extending DTT with "fill in" does this far better. A DTT chip can easily be in a phone. Some manufacturers do have it for years. They tried this with DVB-h, but that needed TV band spectrum. DVB-H would have been Pay TV.

DON’T add me to your social network, I have NO IDEA who you are

Mage Silver badge

Re: b*stards

I would have, except I can't seem to find my log in details any more.

Mage Silver badge

Re: " talking with a scottish accent is unhealthy?"

Kin yer mammy so?

... Stitch that!

Mage Silver badge

Simple

Delete all your Linkedin content

Create temporarily working email account

Rename name and email

Confirm email change received by temp account

Delete Linkedin

Delete Temp email account

Problem solved.

Repeat with Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Tumblr etc as often as required.

An IRC channel. private skype texts, email and giving some people an FTP account on my "unlimited" hosting plan, and a couple of my own hosted CMS/Blogs with comments and "sign up" disabled is enough for me I have decided.

The Advertisers can stick to regular web advertising, Radio, TV, Billboards, papers etc, though when I am world dictator most of it will be banned and $1M fine per lie. The adverts seem to actually tell you nothing truthful about the product.

All these social networking sites only exist to exploit you. They have no user value at all.

Gemalto rash cache clash dashed: US courts trash Android patent bid

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Daft

The original patent is bogus anyway.

That's no plane wreck, that's a Google Wi-Fi balloon

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Idiots

I hope Google is charged for this.

An aptly named project.

32,000 motherboards spit passwords in CLEARTEXT!

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worst access code

Actually Sage used to use "letmein" and often people didn't change this.

US Supremes UPHOLD troll-busting Alice v CLS Bank decision

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Wonderful

Brilliant!

World still standing? It's been two weeks since Cryptolocker, Gameover Zeus takedown by feds

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Still time?

Today is always a good day to die.

Or clean PC, set up operational procedures, only use 3G dongles via HW Firewall, etc

Switch off (disable) ALL services you don't need ...

www.silentrunners.org

gmer may still be useful?

Never too late to repent. I mean sort it out.

Amazon's not-actually-3D Fire: Bezos' cash register in YOUR pocket

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PMP features & battery life

Sounds like it could replace my aged Archos 505 WiFi. I'll wait till my Sony Experia I bought S/H for €50 dies.

Mage Silver badge

Variable perspective

Makes far more sense than Stereoscopic, works for all, less tiring as it's not an illusion (Stereoscopic viewing has the problem that the two images are different, but all elements are at the same focus distance causing unconscious attempts to refocus and thus eye strain)

Also unlike a lenticular Stereoscopic screen could in theory be turned off.

Probably useful for Product Previews. Does Amazon sell much stuff then? :-)

A future queen, the spy chief behind the Iraq 'dodgy dossier' – and a war base rendezvous

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For youngsters

Morse Code Translator

or folks that thought the Rhythm Method was something only Catholics did.

--... ...-- / -.. . / --. .. ---.. .--- - .-.

Intel reveals its FrankenChip ARM killer: one FPGA and one Xeon IN ONE SOCKET

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Re: zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

No, not a race, all a bit of fun.

I think dual ARM cores a couple of years ago. I only have a bunch of Spartan 3 boards. Adding an External ARM or PIC is better on those as soft CPU eats too much. What I'd like would be 100MHz 14bit ADC and a couple of 100MHz 16 bit DACs built in. And 40hrs battery life :-)

Mage Silver badge

Xilinx & ARM

Zinq is now practically ancient.

You're late to the party Intel, BTW your Igor may wish to visit the crypt.

Zinq 7000 FPGA & ARM SoC family

People will happily run malware if paid ONE CENT – new study

Mage Silver badge
Unhappy

Re: banner ads displayed on random web pages

Like Sourceforge?

"The reality of the security situation right now is that you pick your preferred suite, install it, and count on them to detect the malware."

Er no. Most AV STILL occasionally clobbers systems and still misses new threats and is still frequently bypassed by the User.

We need a fresh approach. For a start I ought NEVER have to worry about clicking on stuff or visiting websites. If it's not something sensibly intended for the Browser it should offer to download (save file). You should NEVER EVER be able to click on stuff to run / install when using a Browser.

One decent Bouncer at the front door instead of all the CPU draining "Security Ware" patrolling the corridors.

"Noscript" helps but my friends complain that it takes too long to "train it" and that they worry they are missing some feature of the Site. (Yes probably Malware!).

Mage Silver badge

Benign?

You mean like the tool bars, codecs, Ad Ware removers that people install that are just malware?

Irish court peels off gloves, hands Facebook PROBE request to ECJ

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Black Helicopters

MS

Microsoft in Ireland has already lodged their OWN complaint with US authorities.

So it's not hearsay.

London Tech Week: All for the luvvies and the joke's on you, taxpayers

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Re: Tech businesses

Actually Google isn't really a Tech company. Most of their tech as a tech is bought in or irrelevant.

What do they make money out of, and what do they need to make the money?

Today's get-rich-quick scheme: Build your own bank

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Tesco

Are they really making a bank or reselling someone else?

Internet of Things fridges? Pfft. So how does my milk carton know when it's empty?

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Re: The internet of fridges

Actually I don't even want my computer connected DIRECTLY to the Internet ever again ...

Student promises Java key to unlock Simplocker ransomware

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Next step?

How prevalent are malware infected Security tools? I don't think most AV is, though it can slow your computer worse than malware and even remove vital files.

Microsoft C# chief Hejlsberg: Our open-source Apache pick will clear the FUD

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Re: How weird.

I only once ever posted as an AC. I'm prepared to be ridiculed for my facts and opinions.

Mage Silver badge

Re: Free the VM two!

Actually the opposite may be true.

The Grand daddy of them was maybe the UCSD p-Code. It can be argued that there is no speed penalty for the majority of a Program running on a P-Code VM. The P-Code will be more compact and load faster than many native codes and is more portable. The VM can manage APIs of the OS and also the different CPU architectures. Easier to port a good PM once and have portable programs.

Davik & Android is another flavour.

In theory too biggest issues are reliability and security. Easier with a P-Code VM to ensure the application doesn't scribble all over the OS or have privileges or pinch stuff it shouldn't.

One can envisage a P-Machine that identifies and caches loops or functions/procedures best optimised as native code. So those portions are compiled at run time. No need to native code almost 98% of the program typically.

Also your SoC or CPU designer can create HW execution for some common P-Code constructs (does ARM Neon do this?). Western Digital implemented a HW UCSD p-code machine with their Bit Slice processor chip set. But that idea fails badly unless you have a 2nd CPU to run a decent OS kernel.

Java/C# may be fine for Applications, but OS Kernel and low level drivers probably better in C++ or even Modula-2 or related languages.

IoT cup claims 'instant' identification of what's in it

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Re: Wow, El Reg being written by commentards

Which makes it more fun than other sites.

If this works (I'm sceptical), then joking aside it could be useful. Does it actually measure consumption though?

Mage Silver badge

Re: Patented Algorithm

No, an algorithm is ultimately Mathematics. Which can't and shouldn't be patentable.