Posts by Pascal Monett

"the number of attacks has dropped by 93 per cent"

Well that certainly is a successful lawsuit.

I personally don't care for Ubisoft games in general, but you have to be a special kind of loser to want to actively hurt the play experience of people you don't know and will never meet. These four don't care about that, they're in it for the money, which is just evil. I hope they go down for the count.

Why is it so hard to learn ?

What is it with people who just have to have their life online without backup ? Nothing against password managers, but for Pete's sake don't you have a local backup ?

I coded my own password manager. I have it where I need it, and I have a backup at home where it is easy to get to. Of course, I'm not using three different platforms to access the Internet, so managing the password database is much easier for me, but still : I have a backup.

Back it up, people. It will save your bacon one day.

"AMD's share price is at a record high, and has more than doubled in a year"

Go AMD !

For sure, Intel is handing AMD the market now. Intel doesn't want to lose the big four, but it is certainly not gaining traction elsewhere. AMD is perfectly poised to scoop up a larger share of the market and I can only hope that it reaps all the rewards that it can.

That said, this scuffle is in the server market. Consumer-oriented chips are just as available as before, right ? Intel doesn't just make Xeons, there's the entire iX family (i3, i5, i7 and i9). Those aren't being hit by any major restriction, right ?

Intel will keep making money hand over fist, and AMD will have a bit more room to grow. That's good news everywhere.

Wait a minute

What do we have here ?

A police inquiry that makes an official request for information to an organization that keeps GPS information far longer than any company should need to. The inquiry is legit, restricted to specific, determined area and backed by a judge. This is justice in motion and I have no problem with that.

If there is any issue, it is in the fact that fucking Google has the means to become an auxiliary of justice. Who gave Google the authority to store GPS data on its customers ? Who delegated to Google the means of recording the life of Joe Public ? How is it that we continue to accept that a commercial, for-profit company has the right to record and store more data about our lives than the government ?

One day there should be a reckoning about that, if we are to hope to preserve the privacy of our lives.

How does that work ?

" In effect, the hackers exploit the flaw to get access to the server, kill any existing malware, set up their own backdoor, then block off the vulnerable code from future exploit attempts by mitigation."

So basically these hackers can do a better job than AV vendors ? They're in the wrong business. They should create and sell an AV suite (they could call it HackerGuard). They'd make millions and it would all be legitimate.

"replaced by ODIN [..] by 2022"

Or 2025, because special circumstances, then 2026 because oops, we forgot something, then 2027 because gosh darn it, there are unforeseen problems.

And all the while, millions are being spent and bonuses are fat at the top.

Just one question

"we have witnessed several companies in the past 18 months making license changes to block the cloud providers from continuing this trend"

And how exactly is that going to do anything to block Azure or AWS from taking any open-source code, fiddling with it until it does what they want, and stashing the result where nobody can see it ?

It's not like those several companies are going to be granted investigative powers and check what state that now-proprietary code is in.

"the researchers believe their technique is promising"

Of course they do, they need the funding. I, however, am very doubtful that this can, one day, be used to help self-driving cars navigate the crowded streets of New York. I doubt very much that their laser will even be able to hit the wall and, if it does, it certainly won't be able to reflect anything back to the vehicle's detectors.

Besides, given that you have to get the angle just right, I don't see this working at all outside laboratory conditions.

For this tech to actually work, statistical analysis machines need to progress and miniaturize to the point where each vehicle has its own. I don't see that happening any time soon.

"replace the hotlinked image with something unsavoury"

It didn't need to be unsavory, but in those barely-less-civilized days, it sure seemed more fun.

I wonder if it still happens ?

So, Google is pulling a Microsoft ?

Putting in place a form of technology, then pulling the rug out from under everyone who put effort into it a few scant years later.

The only difference is that it's Google, perpetually in beta. Microsoft does that with products that are supposed to be long-term, drumming up support via expensive marketing and endless hype, right up to the day it decides that nah, it's done with this crap and moving on. Just the same, tens of thousands of enthusiasts of that tech are left bereft, drifting in the Sea Of Abandoned Ideas.

Kinda makes you think about sticking to things that last longer than a CEO's attention span, doesn't it ?

"Basic, Balanced, and Strict"

They forgot Nuclear, the option that not only doesn't accept trackers but also nukes the site the tracker comes from.

If they implement that, I will switch to Edge in a heartbeat.

Disney must be all excited right now

It is probably already hiring an entire new law department to stomp all over the Middle Kingdom. I wonder how China will handle copyright claims (if it will) ? I mean, how long is copyright in China ? If it's e.g. five years, then they could logically oppose any legal action concerning something made 20 years ago and nobody could do anything about it, while validly claiming to respect copyright.

Did you feel that ? I think Mickey Mouse just fainted.

"the ECJ has made clear that national security concerns do not override citizens’ data privacy"

It seems that there is a digital divide looming in our near future. There will be one bastion of freedom and privacy, the EU, and there will be the rest of the world living in totalitarian surveillance states "for your protection, citizen".

I'm glad I live in France. And I'm glad there still are people in this world who retain their sense of duty when they attain important positions.

No, Pai, I'm not talking about you.

Cosmic billiard balls

And the pocket never gives anything back. As soon as we invent folding space or whatever method by which we can get to another star in hours instead of millennia, I will gladly help fund a probe to send over there and stream whatever is happening back.

Because I don't think putting a Fhloston Paradise-style luxury starship there would be a good thing. The radiation environment over there is probably horrendous.

Splendidly well done, IBM !

Swoop in to save the day, and carry off a billion-dollar contract. Who can complain about that ? Not TSB, who is obviously incapable of managing its business any more, so is showering Big Blue with moolah so it can continue fleecing its customers. Not the IBM salespeople, who can rightly revel in the insane bonuses this contract will bring them. And not the board at IBM, who can finally count on a nice chunk of revenue for a change.

No, I think the only ones who could complain are the customers, who witnessed hundreds of millions pissed away in the Mother Of All Botched Upgrades, and are now witnessing a cool billion being skimmed of their money's interest.

Ah, what sacrifices they endure to continue having access to their money . . .

"The idea of no-code and low-code [..] is that business users can . ."

. . recreate the mess that was Excel spreadsheets and Access databases spread hither and skilter without any oversight, control or knowledge, thus continuing the entrenchment of companies in the ignorance of the tools and data they are using, meaning no backups and no proper DR scenario in case of trouble.

For God's sake, Google, is there anyone there who understands the value of keeping control over what tools are being used in a company ? Do YOU allow your employees their own databases and code without any oversight whatsoever ? Somehow, I doubt that. So why impose it on the rest of us ?

Oh, silly me, divide and conquer, of course. Carry on.

Verify by email - but MX records modified

Dear Lord that is sooo smart. That just has to be the result of middle management meetings pontificating about what to do without having a clue about what the consequences were.

Somewhere, there is an engineer smirking in his beard, thinking "I told them that wouldn't work, but did they listen ? No. Well they're going to get an earful now".

"poison for slow, traditional businesses"

What slow businesses are left (okay, IBM excepted) ? Is he talking about Fortune 500 behemoths ? They're all Agile (TM) now, aren't they ?

Because I don't think that your local garage manager can do much planning where Brexit is concerned. Either his suppliers will continue to supply him, or he'll have to find new ones.

Wow, what a pain

I went to the Openreach homepage to try and check out what kinds of FTTP were on offer. I was expecting something like with Orange (France), where they practically throw the information at you. All I got was a load of marketing across the face and, eventually, a request for a post code.

I tried finding the postcode of Devon, mentioned in the article, but I don't think I got anything useful because I never got beyond that request page.

So I Googled to try and find the types of contracts and their prices, and man, was that a painful experience. It is unbelievable for me that it took so long to finally get this data.

Second surprise : the prices. A year-on-year 1Gbps contract is almost twice what I pay. If, however, you sign up for the 3-year stretch, then you're getting around my price. Obviously, Openreach is pushing people to long contracts, which is understandable.

Third surprise : Openreach is only giving you Internet access. There does not appear to be a phone/Internet/TV bundle going on. So not only is Openreach more expensive unless you sign on for the duration, but you're also getting much less than I am.Oh well, at least it appears that you're getting a better deal than the Yanks.

BTW, does Openreach also limit their "unlimited" contracts ? Because I actually didn't find any mention of unlimited anywhere. That would really be the kicker.

So you're a "wealthy businessman", are you ?

Well in a helicopter you're just a pilot. Plus you're not even a billionaire, so there. In your offices you're used to being the Top Man, we understand, but at the airport you're just a number.

Buy the airport and come back to us then, dickwad. If you have to cite the operating costs of your vehicle as a reason to treat you special, then you don't deserve the vehicle in the first place.

Do you ever hear Ferrari owners complain about maintenance costs ?

Small timer.

Okay, I get that Apple doesn't like 3rd-party batteries

Now tell me why I should care since Apple can't be arsed to make proper batteries for its own kit ?

"to desperately brief against Huawei getting the green light"

They wouldn't need to be desperate if they had anything approaching actual truth.

Sod that argument already.

"Cinelytic’s software will help predict a particular film’s profits"

Please, please, somebody tweak that so we don't get yet another sequel to a prequel of a sequel of a film that was actually passable, some time last millennium.

So this guy gets 9 months and a criminal record . .

. . while the guy who threatened thousands of people gets . . a slap on the wrist ?

Where's the justice in that system ?

"the FAA remains focused on [..] returning the Boeing 737 MAX to passenger service"

I'm not sure that that is a good idea. It seems that there are more issues than the MCAS problem. It seems that the plane should be retired and a new one made from scratch, properly this time.

Of course, that is one thing that will never happen. Boeing and the FAA prefer to put band-aids over a shoddy model because the billions put into the design would otherwise be a write-off.

Since I've heard that there are airlines that will "rename" the 737 MAX in order to hide the true nature of the flying coffin people will be in, I have no choice now but to decide that I am boycotting Boeing until they put out a new model that is safe from the paper to the plane.

"it's the right time for him to leave the company"

Yup, now that people know just how much of an asshole he can be, he obviously needs to find new victimspastures.

"but could for example, also be done through ads on a trusted website"

Sorry, even if I trust a website, I am trusting no ads.

I run NoScript and UBlock Origin, and I'm not about to change my mind.

We have seen so little of our Universe

Every time we have sent out a camera to snap pics of anything in our Solar System, we have always been surprised. Every. Single. Time.

I'm betting that Eurybates and its moon are going to reveal things nobody is expecting, and I can't wait to find out what it will be.