* Posts by the Jim bloke

1083 publicly visible posts • joined 18 Apr 2007

IBM's autonomous Mayflower ship breaks down in second transatlantic attempt

the Jim bloke
Pirate

Someone should tell IBM

If they want to be a naval power they need to prioritise engineering over the sales...

Accenture announces 'Accenture Song' – not a tune, but a rebrand

the Jim bloke
Trollface

In a content-devoid industry

it is as relevant as anything else.

Just like Rap is country music - without the country, or the music, Accenture Song can be Dubstep, without the melody, lyrics, emotional depth, or social commentary..

Engineers up the torque to get Lucy's solar array latched

the Jim bloke
FAIL

..and that is why you fail..

what kind of moron tries to do real science using inches?

I hope the actual engineering was all done to the millimetre and micrometre, and its only the press releases being translated into the local yokel tribal measurements.

Tomorrow Water thinks we should colocate datacenters and sewage plants

the Jim bloke
Unhappy

Growing lettuces hydroponically in a high CO2 environment works well. It also keeps the bugs down as there isn't enough Oxygen for them. You can't have stupid people working at those facilities unless there are good locks on the doors.

Sadly, politicians wont let you lock stupid people up, because that is their powerbase.

the Jim bloke

Twitter datacentre

Sewage farm

no-brainer

How many ways can you say the same thing?

the Jim bloke
Holmes

Re: Water companies in England

If covering the sides of buildings with solar panels was a good idea, people would already be doing so. They don't because, although it is an /obvious/ idea, it is not a /good/ idea.

Coming down out of the trees wasnt a good idea either, but the trees died off so we had to learn to walk upright..

Solar windows probably sits somewhere on Dabbsies hierarchy of stupid ideas, but it is being done

website at www.solarwindow.com/

All arguments about the poor geometry of window based solar collectors can be countered by -So what else are you doing with that space??

Then it comes down to economics, and that is something that will always start off terrible, and improve with technological advances and manufacturing scale.

as an aside, when solar PV first emerged, people used to joke about solar powered flashlights. Now they are just another item in camping catalogues.

the Jim bloke

Re: Water companies in England

maybe when the solids have been removed from the sewage, you can burn them to make electricity?

Just the Board members, or all the rest of the bastards too?

In the graveyard of good ideas, how does yours measure up to these?

the Jim bloke

Re: Not sure what level this would measure at...

A possibly more common variant of this is the "cat cafe", where you can spend time with various pet-type animals that your lifestyle may not let you keep at home.

Its a nice idea, not as good as the real thing, but some kind of pet-fix for the desperate.

the Jim bloke
Headmaster

Re: Ahh Yes the "We have stopped supporting your device mid sub"

The Platypus, and the Echidna, are classified as monotremes - which are mammals, but distinct from marsupials.

from wikipedia

one of the three main groups of living mammals, along with placentals (Eutheria) and marsupials (Metatheria).

the Jim bloke
Joke

Re: Ahh Yes the "We have stopped supporting your device mid sub"

Anyone can say anything they like about the English.

.. thats one way to achieve silence..

.. at least they're not as bad as seth effrekens ..

Driver in Uber's self-driving car death goes on trial, says she feels 'betrayed'

the Jim bloke
Devil

Re: "I feel betrayed in a way,"

Isnt Ubers thing that they dont have employees?

Surely everybody is just some variant of contractor, with no recourse against or obligation from the parent company.

the Jim bloke
Terminator

Re: Software to arbitrate between two soldiers -- haven't they heard of rank?

We seem to be stuck in a foxhole in the ground underneath a giant tank that we can't possibly move with no hope of rescue. Does the AI battle computer have anything to say about that?

... probably, but since its getting no signal, due to being stuck in a foxhole in the ground underneath a giant tank, you will have to resolve the situation yourself, before you can avail yourself of the AI battle computers advice..

The Human Genome Project will tell us who to support at Eurovision

the Jim bloke

Re: For those wowed by how much DNA they share with people from other countries

Whenever it comes up in conversation - which isnt often, for some reason, the ratios I use are..

98% of our genes are the same as chimpanzees, and 50% the same as lettuce.

I have no basis for these figures.

We have redundancy, we have batteries, what could possibly go wrong?

the Jim bloke
Headmaster

Re: Practise [sic] makes …

A Practice is the term for a doctors business, or turf/territory/whatever.

Presumably if they keep doing it long enough, they'll get good at it...

Biden issues Executive Order to tame digital currencies

the Jim bloke

The true value of crypto currencies emerge

After all the hype about cryptocurrency being able to avoid government regulation, it turns out they are actually worth their weight in roubles...

Russia scrambles to bootstrap HPC clusters with native tech

the Jim bloke
Unhappy

Re: Its too late for Putin

Problem with NATO committing troops.. is that Ukraine isnt part of NATO.

Morally it may be the right thing to do, but if it isnt in the contract, then acting beyond its scope damages its legitimacy.

And Legitimacy outweighs morality at every contest beyond kindergarten.

Internet backbone Cogent cuts Russia connectivity

the Jim bloke

Re: Difficult choice to make

Maybe he will come down with the Kalashnikov or Makarov Covid variants, recognisable by symptoms of multiple deep penetrating punctures, structural damage, and low circulating blood volume.

Tesla to disable 'self-driving' feature that allowed vehicles to roll past stop signs at junctions

the Jim bloke
Happy

Re: Not a "bug"

Honking like mad is not an effective response to transgressions by other road users.

Tesla will instead implement an automated system where any person, vehicle or object that gets too close to their vehicles ( or is occupying a parking spot they might desire), is labelled as a paedophile on social media...

Happy birthday, Windows Vista: Troubled teen hits 15

the Jim bloke
Coat

Re: Definitely the RAM requirement

Manufacturers blindly made machines with just 512GB RAM and those machines were actually too slow to be usable

Someday we will look back in fond nostalgia at systems that only needed 512 GB RAM. Such tight, clean programming and minimalist requirements.. Its art I tell you..

When forgetting to set a password for root is the least of your woes

the Jim bloke
Joke

Re: Nobody told me I wasn't allowed to do it.

and the passy "1234"

Thats the same combination as my luggage...

Alien life on Super-Earth can survive longer than us due to long-lasting protection from cosmic rays

the Jim bloke

Re: "Earth’s magnetic field will disappear in 6.2 billion years or so"

Then slowly, surely, we'll draw our plans against them.

Like we did with Brexit?

and how we managed the pandemic?

and how we manage every other aspect of our "civilisation"..

.

..

ROFLMAO!

Crack team of boffins hash out how e-scooters should sound – but they need your help*

the Jim bloke
Trollface

going counter to most suggestions here

but I like the idea of a recording of an idling Harley Davidson, edited to be deeper and slower than any real IC engine could manage - possibly getting towards the drums in the deep, of LOTR fame.

The reasoning is that any E-ridable user wont realise how much more ridiculous it makes them appear,.. and it will probably get them punched by a bikie.

BOFH: On Wednesdays, we wear gloves

the Jim bloke

Re: Future classic

.. so where are the air intakes located?

asking for a friend...

Indonesia bars financial institutions from offering crypto services

the Jim bloke
Happy

Re: This makes me think of the US states that try and "ban abortions"

If people cannot get will not listen to good advice about crypto-currencies, they will have a go by themselves.

FTFY

The rest of your post is good, though

Now that's wafer thin: Some manufacturers had less than five days of chip supplies, says Uncle Sam

the Jim bloke

Re: So, let's see...

The story is circulating in public, because, to his voter base.. its aspirational..

Dog forgets all about risk of drowning in a marsh as soon as drone dangles a sausage

the Jim bloke

Re: Replace fox hunting

a valid use for vegans..

Behold! The first line of defence for 25% of the US nuclear stockpile: Dolphins

the Jim bloke

Surprised no mention of William Gibson

"Johnny Mnemonic" short story, where the dolphin is a heroin addicted military surplus..

Quick google, and apparently it has become a SYFY channel tv series... not going to follow that up after the disappointment that was "the Expanse".

Tougher rules on targeted ads, deepfakes, crafty web design, and more? Euro lawmakers give a thumbs up

the Jim bloke
Stop

Assume the default position is "no", unless specifically stated as "yes"

Logical.

but not going to be popular (implemented) by the tech-bros

the Jim bloke

two problems with letting 'the freaks post whatever they want'.

one, the internet is big enough they can find others who agree with them, and feel validated and accepted - which is wonderful for a breastfeeding mother, but less so for a racist neo-nazi or fundamentalist religious nutter.

two, the culture of the internet is all about self-promotion and standing out - however briefly. This drives stupider and more extravagant comments, images and actions, resulting in injury, violence and all the other consequences we have become familiar with.

The internet is not to blame for stupid people... but it has empowered them far beyond anything sane

Foxstuck: Firefox browser bug boots legions of users offline

the Jim bloke

SOP

Shoot the messenger.. before he leaves home

Feeling virtuous with a good old paperback? Well, don't. Switching to traditional media does not improve mood

the Jim bloke

The absolute overriding benefit of e readers

As a youth, i spent a significant portion of my income on books.

Over time, my collection has grown, and requires a large amount of storage space in the house, Fortunately, we no longer need to move, but my partner did a reorganisation which I still have not fixed, so my dead tree library is currently scrambled.

I mostly work 'Fly-in, Fly-out', where I spend a couple of weeks at a remote 'camp', then a week off back in civilisation.. repeat ad infinitum..

Back before E books i would be carrying half a dozen paperbacks every trip, in my limited luggage space.

These days I have access to the entire online portion of my library, and can get new books even when I am at site.

The sheer convenience of having books available on my phone - not even a separate e-reader device, becomes the difference between having a book or not having a book.

Thank you, FAQ chatbot, but if I want your help I'll ask for it

the Jim bloke
Unhappy

Re: I am here to help. What can I do for you today?

Make sure its the manufacturer that is providing the user manuals.

3rd party providers of manuals just seem to be fronts for malware slingers..

Cryptocurrency 'rug pulls' cheated investors out of $8bn in 2021 – report

the Jim bloke

Scams represent a huge barrier to successful cryptocurrency adoption

FTFY

£42k for a top-class software engineer? It's no wonder uni research teams can't recruit

the Jim bloke
Joke

Re: broken

..Boeings all the way down...

the Jim bloke

Re: IT person

In an organisation with budgets and procedures, there will be a system for organising flights, and a provider to travel with, and a person in the organisation whos job it is to look after that stuff.

Not following the system makes life harder for every else involved, who can respond by making life harder for the offender. The systems will usually be far from perfect, but having an admin who knows what they are doing can make the pot holes invisible to the users.

If your organisation doesnt manage that kind of stuff - you're on your own...

The dark equation of harm versus good means blockchain’s had its day

the Jim bloke
FAIL

Re: The power consumption thing

without following the link, they still fired up another generator specifically to mine Bitcoin.

that isnt a win.

Pension cold-calling financial services biz cops largest ever fine from UK data watchdog

the Jim bloke
Meh

Misunderstanding the role of the ICO

There appears to be a misunderstanding about what the ICO is here for.

It is NOT a wild west sheriff, ruthlessly gunning down rustlers, outlaws, and generic black-bandana wearers, to create a world safe for shopkeepers and school-marms.

Its role is more along the lines of a bus conductor, asking customers to show their tickets and not put their feet on the seats, in order to fit more people onto the the bus.

One of their fundamental beliefs, would be that business is to be encouraged, so punishing companies is going to be done reluctantly.

ESA's Solar Orbiter sails safely past Earth despite orbiting debris concerns

the Jim bloke

Re: 10,000ths of a radian per second

To be fair though, I don't think they want it going that fast.

Could be handy, if it spotted a funny looking photon, and wanted to take a second look....

Australia will force social networks to identify trolls, so they can be sued for defamation

the Jim bloke
Megaphone

Re: Huh?

In a perfect world - as envisaged by me - users get to sue social media organisations, who then get to sue posters of offensive content.

Viewers cannot sue posters, there is no chance of success there, so they must act against the agent of the poster, which is the social media org. The social media org has a relationship with the poster, which they can follow up to achieve redress. If its too hard - its their system, fix it.

There would be lawyers involved sadly, to ensure complaints weren't false or frivolous, but requirements should not be too high as the intent is to encourage social media orgs to do some damned quality control, and the public is doing them a service by pointing out where they are fucking up.

the Jim bloke
Megaphone

Re: Scott Morrison, Australia’s leading political troll

Scomo is desperately searching for relevance, with an upcoming election. Owning a bogan nickname sufficed to get him the last one, but the opposition have fielded 'Albo' to counter that ploy, and the voters have had a few years to find out that behind Scomo's facade, there's...well, nothing.

His greatest success was early in dealing with the pandemic, and it is officially described as forming a national cabinet - where in real terms it was passing all responsibility to the state governments. If the Commonwealth had kept responsibility for quarantine - the way they are supposed to - it would have been a disaster. His strategy is inaction ( with a catchy slogan).

It now looks like his political party are loading all their sins onto him, so he can be sacrificed and the rest of them appear clean and innocent. the term is scapegoat.

Robotaxis freed to charge across 60km2 of Beijing

the Jim bloke
Terminator

You dont need flexibility, if your armour is heavy enough...

Lenovo ThinkPad T14s: Impressively average, which is how corporate buyers like it

the Jim bloke
Pirate

Re: Nice set of options, but Ethernet?

What good is a laptop if you cannot threaten to whack a mugger with it?

extrapolating from recent trends, you will be able to use it to slice their limbs off.

"Thats not a knife,.. This is a ... laptop.."

How a malicious Android app could covertly turn the DSP in your MediaTek-powered phone into an eavesdropping bug

the Jim bloke

Re: Eavesdropping bug

I hear you..

A tiny typo in an automated email to thousands of customers turns out to be a big problem for legal

the Jim bloke
FAIL

Re: A small percentage of the blame should go to the other RDBMS creators...

Not IT,

but there is the music-group 'Accessory'

Just try googling for accessory + band, and see where you get..

Genetically modified E coli bacteria produce ink for 3D printing programmable objects

the Jim bloke
Pint

A case can be made

- with the assistance of sufficient alcohol (but not too much, cause its bad for the little buggers) - that humanity is the vessel by which E Coli has conquered the world, and all our achievements in art, and science, and architecture are just distractions from our true purpose of spreading our micro-flora across the face of the planet. This article shows that science is not a waste of time, freeing bacteria to colonize beyond colons and potentially into space itself.

The sky is no longer the limit.

To Infinity and Beyond !

the Jim bloke
Coat

Shit just got real...

...useful...

A lightbulb moment comes too late to save a mainframe engineer's blushes

the Jim bloke

Re: I had a somewhat similar problem

In my distant and receding youth, I used to have a small motorbike to get me around town and to whatever work I had. This would be less powerful than most scooters, and with indicators brighter than its headlight.

At this occasion, I was riding to work before dawn in winter, and the local council had apparently decided streetlights werent required at that time of day.. the engine died, the headlight died.. so i was kicking down through the gears to get power to the headlight while fumbling under the fuel tank to switch to the reserve position..

Travelling home after work was during peak hour (such as it was back then), i used to see how much traffic I could get banked up behind my bike on a major highway.

The Ministry of Silly Printing: But I don't want my golf club correspondence to say 'UNCLASSIFIED' at the bottom

the Jim bloke
Holmes

Re: Visited...

If it wasnt drastic - it wouldnt have happened.

There would have been all sorts of half-arsed pretend implementations, and it would have been unenforceable. Keep it simple, and get it done.

As for the fairness or necessity of it, customers can vote with their feet if they dont like a venues rules and conditions, but the staff/employees dont get much choice.

As long as you're not working for Uber or Amazon or any of the other tech-bros, your employer is not supposed to put your life or health at risk. That can be pushing large aluminium staircases around an airfield in a lightning storm, or breathing toxic chemicals... they certainly wont pay you any extra for doing it.

This drag sail could prevent spacecraft from turning into long-term orbiting junk. We spoke to its inventors ahead of launch

the Jim bloke
Coat

Unfortunately, the rocket carrying Spinnaker3 exploded at launch, destroying the experimental sail.

Satellite de-orbiter prototype uses explode-on-launch

It's super effective.

Ofcom announces plan to protect endangered species – the Great British phone box

the Jim bloke
Thumb Up

(pleased to note my phone doesn't believe that is a word)

.. finally..

Something worthy of being called a smartphone