* Posts by Charles 9

16605 publicly visible posts • joined 10 Jun 2009

Detailed: How Russian government's Fancy Bear UEFI rootkit sneaks onto Windows PCs

Charles 9

Re: The real solution

"Not as substantial as your company being ransomed, having its IP stolen or going bust."

Don't be so sure. If physically getting into a buried or remote machine means a lengthy hazard-pay trip or your business shuts down for a significant length of time...

Charles 9

Re: Observation

"Any security system is fundamentally flawed, period." Two words: Murphy's Law. SOMEONE's going to screw up just enough to mess up everything, and humans aren't perfect. Also, no matter how hard you try to keep things from breaking, you can only set the bar so high at the start while it constantly lowers over time (the siege problem).

Poor people should get slower internet speeds, American ISPs tell FCC

Charles 9

100ms is the probably the best you can expect, due to sheer physics. Using the c figure of 186,282 miles per second, 10ms will only get you an absolute (theoretical) maximum distance of 1863 miles. That's not gonna get you from New York to Los Angeles as the crow flies (about 2500 miles), and after you account for routing inefficiencies, relay latency, and the fact you can't get to the actual speed of light in fiber or copper (a good ballpark figure is about 95%), you're gonna need even more time to work cross country both ways, just as you would a transoceanic connection.

Charles 9

Re: Let them eat cake

Which then raises the question, what's to stop them from just pulling out and hauling kiester to somewhere friendlier, taking their equipment with them so no one else can poach on their territory?

Charles 9

Re: Room for some competition

But breaks down when they all decide to work in a cartel and buy or beat down those who won't play.

Charles 9

Re: ISP's don't get it.

Guess you never heard of a Captive Market, have you? What do you do when guerilla control the only well for miles?

Charles 9

Re: No cost to the suppliers

"Once you get an infrastructure inplace, the cost of connecting an additional customer (if you've planned your network correctly) is very low."

Except that's EXACTLY the problem with most rural rollouts: no infrastructure in place, meaning huge initial outlays that have to be amortized with rural communities that usually don't have a lot of money (many get assisted at state level, as an example). And you wonder why a lot of rural setups were made under sweetheart deals; it was either take the deal or go without and watch your taxpayers move away.

Windows 10 can carry on slurping even when you're sure you yelled STOP!

Charles 9

The law of "Money Makes the World Go 'Round," and if the ONLY way you have to make your daily bread is to play games...

Charles 9

Tell that to PROFESSIONAL gamers. They do it for a living.

Charles 9

Re: Can we have...

Unless said software firm is back by ANOTHER government WITH firepower. That's the problem with China. THEY have nukes AND a philosophical history more likely to accept MAD.

Charles 9

Re: Can we have...

Actually, it's you who doesn't understand that there are people who don't take NO for an answer...AND have the ability to bribe any guns you hire to turn on you at the last minute.

So what's it gonna be...the no-lube job or the lead lobotomy? And no, there is no third option.

Charles 9

How can ANY software block Windows' access to the servers when it's the OS and can work BELOW any software you attempt to install on it. It doesn't even need DNS to get through to the servers because it has an internal lookup list, and I bet you they resolve to the same IPs as the update servers.

Charles 9

"I don't think that. I also don't see how that's relevant."

Simple. If you're not doing it by yourself from scratch, including the hardware (where you're royally screwed because of hardware patents), then you're bending over. Who's doing it doesn't really matter because it certainly isn't you.

The internet is going to hell and its creators want your help fixing it

Charles 9

Re: Optional

"I've used ground-isolated transmitting and receiving equipment quite often, as do most people in the western world."

So how do you link up to the rest of the world which uses terrestrial communications equipment? If you don't connect to anyone else, you're just another Darknet.

Charles 9

Re: Saving democracy

Once upon a time, you couldn't be sure of that. Back in the village days, communities were small enough that everyone knew everyone else, and any stranger in town was quickly pointed out. In other words, there wasn't much expectation of privacy back then, especially when sound carried much further than now due to less background noise. It's happened before, it can easily happen again.

Charles 9

Re: Optional

As well as the simple fact the signals have to get back to the ground. Meaning there are chokepoints. That's how China works its magic: it forces everything through chokepoints under its control. Easy enough for anyone else to do.

Charles 9

Re: Vint is the problem

As a New Yorker would say, "Fuhgedaboutit!!"

Security is a dilemma. You can't trust yourself to do it right, yet you can't trust anyone else, either, because they may be secretly doubled or coerced to act against you.

Attestation vs. Anonymity is a Morton's Fork. Attestation means Big Brother is watching you. Anonymity means no one can figure out your Evil Plan until it's too late.

As long as the Earth and countries exist, location and sovereignty will be an issue. Then again, do you really want a single world government to rule over us all?

Lastly, for many people, they WANT the Internet the way it is, meaning any attempt to do it again is likely doomed to be sabotaged. It's frankly down to the human condition. You want a better Internet? Evolve a better human first.

PS. As for all that cabling...who's going to pay for it first?

Charles 9

Re: There are some technical bugs we can certainly fix

Oh yeah, what about video playback? Video files aren't compressed for no reason. And what stuff that MUST be interactive like online mapping? And before you say "dedicated apps" (like the old Real Player), you say diversity, I say multiple points of failure.

Your mates vape. Your boss quit smoking. You promised to quit in 2019. But how will Big Tobacco give it up?

Charles 9

Re: Look out

For them, there is NO safer alternative. Unless they're holding literal lives in their hands, it's not enough. It's like with severe gambling addiction: unless the stakes are high enough, it's no fun.

Charles 9

Re: Facebook

"They don't value it all that much if they refuse to pick up the telephone (or TDD) and make a simple call. Or even to use email."

That's assuming they have ACCESS to the above and that Facebook ISN'T their e-mail (trust me, go to southeast Asia; Facebook there is more accessible than cell towers--you can use WiFi). Telephone has NO value when there's no access.

Try reading this for starters. The relevant part is under the heading "Why it's hard to say goodbye".

Charles 9

Re: Facebook

"Just stop using Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Whatsapp etc."

Good luck when it's the ONLY way to get in touch with your family that highly values communication in a world where it's not guaranteed. And no, I can't just "cut them off" because I then get harangued from other family who visit in person.

Charles 9

Re: Look out

"No nicotine after a pack a day makes me cranky. No caffeine after a six cup a day habit gives me migraines without light sensitivity."

Caffeine is a tough one to break because, like alcohol, the withdrawal effects can be dangerous. Alcohol withdrawal can lead to DTs which can kill. Caffeine withdrawal can frequently cause hypertensive crises (which is what you--and I---felt in the past): dangerous in themselves.

Charles 9

Re: Look out

"Are you defending addiction? That's why people smoke."

If it's between that and rampant crime, Vulcan logic dictates that it would be much preferable to let people kill themselves. Much less potential for collateral damage. Also, for some the addiction is preferable to reality, and for some taking their hit away is dangerous (alcohol and DTs come to mind).

It's like anything in life. It gets complicated.

"When it comes to public health it is much better to educate and encourage rather than tax or ban but regulation is always an option."

Not if people demonstrate they'd rather declare war on their country than on their vice. Even a government has to pick its fights. That's why the 21st Amendment in spite of all evidence to indicate alcohol would be classified today as a Class 2 Narcotic.

Charles 9

Re: Look out

"The cardiovascular risks of nicotine may be mitigated by vaping but not eliminated and, over time, imposes significant costs on the economy."

But what of the social costs of banning something people want even if it kills them (You know who calls cigarettes "cancer sticks" the most? Smokers, showing they don't care)? That's why Prohibition was brought up? Would you trade in Carrie Nation for Al Capone?

Forget your deepest, darkest secrets, smart speakers will soon listen for sniffles and farts too

Charles 9

Re: When will it be too much?

Simple. They won't. They LIKE doing this. It's better than toll booths...

Charles 9

Re: It sounds like you're writing a letter...

I don't know. There may come a day when a translator could use audio cues to figure out variants of Twin.

Charles 9

Re: How to sell this

"But the point is you don’t have to buy everything pre made or convenient."

You do if (1) you never learned how and/or (2) 28 hours of your day are spoken for and you still have trouble paying the bills.

Charles 9

Re: Stop Alexa listening when you don't want...

How soon before those Alexas become tamper-sensing so that you can't open them up without getting blared about it from the Alexa every five seconds (oh, and your warranty is now void, too--naughty tampering)?

Charles 9

Re: My security system already listens to everything.

Or the old line, "Is it live or is it Memorex?"

Charles 9

How soon...

...before we get back to the point where there isn't much privacy anywhere anymore. Back to the days of the village gossip?

FCC sets a record breaking $120m fine for rude robocalls

Charles 9

Re: "As for fixing the robot all problem"

But they CAN set it up on the sidewalk outside (which under typical municipal rights of way belongs to the community and falls under the First Amendment) and soapbox away, especially if your back is turned to the house but you're loud enough to be heard anyway.

Charles 9

Re: $120 million fine

That's why I said "garnish" as well. Having Uncle Sam take a sizeable cut of each of your paychecks (by court order, on penalty of time in a federal prison) is going to suck.

Boffins build blazing battery bonfire

Charles 9

Re: Interesting idea

Don't accept "plenty". Unless it's at least "enough" (complete with concrete numbers even under worst-case conditions to prove it), say that isn't sufficient. Unless you can shut off the coal, oil, and gas without Standing on Zanzibar, it just won't cut it for Joe Ordinary.

Charles 9

Re: Interesting idea

Simple. Because there are concrete counterexamples. The Ivanpah solar thermal plant in California is the largest in terms of capacity in the world (392MW--funny, they won't say whether it's thermal or electric). It spans 3500 acres (1420 ha). Last I read, that's supposed to be enough to power some 100,000 homes. Trouble is, even back in the 2010 Census, Los Angeles County alone ran some 13 million homes (and probably will be more come the 2020 Census).

"1/3 of the power in the UK grid is now renewable"

But that leaves the remaining TWO thirds to cover. AND it would be a good idea to check how well your renewables handled the worst-case condition of just having covered the Winter Solstice: shortest day of the year.

Charles 9

Re: Interesting idea

How about at night when the sun's down? Or in stormy conditions when the clouds cover the Sun? Or in the winter when the sun isn't out so long? Can you show ALL the numbers that render him net-positive per annum?

Charles 9

Re: Hmm. Reminds me of the SolChem work of the US NRL in the early 80's.

"The US Navy never wanted to be reliant on foreign oil for its fleet ever again.

Then Regan got elected, oil was cheap and the research got shut down."

Hmm? Last I checked, the project is still ongoing, as carriers and jet fuel have always been a weak link.

Charles 9

Re: The Greatest Challenge

Then how did the carbon get from the Sun to the Earth, eh? Because I don't recall the Sun ever producing or emitting carbon. And under the laws of physics, the carbon doesn't appear spontaneously, either.

Charles 9

Re: More

I would think energy independence would've been a great political tool, ESPECIALLY during the Cold War (the old "You can't starve us out" argument), and it can still apply today to relieve realpolitik pressures.

Charles 9

Please elaborate.

American bloke hauls US govt into court after border cops 'cuffed him, demanded he unlock his phone at airport'

Charles 9

Re: Why have people not yet learned?

What if you MUST be reached at your designated number AND must carry more data than is practical for the Cloud as part of your duties?

A few reasons why cops didn't immediately shoot down London Gatwick airport drone menace

Charles 9

Re: They just need to make the penalty so outsized

Or the similar, "In for a penny, in for a pound."

Charles 9

"I like the net idea - but it needn’t be a net, steel wire would be effective since that would tangle the blades."

Not if the blades are cowled. Plus, being these are likely industrial-grade drones, what's to say their blades aren't metallic and able to cut a wire?

Charles 9

Re: terminal velocity

NOPE. The MythBusters proved that isn't so. If a bullet is spinning and flying in a ballistic trajectory, the point of the bullet follows the parabolic arc and the bullet keeps spinning. You see it all the time if you're a gridiron fan: a passed ball follows the arc and keeps spinning. Because it's still spinning, it's much more aerodynamic which equates to (1) a higher terminal velocity due to reduced air resistance and (2) a nastier impact because it'll probably hit point-first for maximum penetration.

Keen for much-hyped quantum computing to finally land? Don't expect it for a decade

Charles 9

Re: Don't miss the point

"But the data-lifespan arguments for PQC are mostly based on some highly unlikely assumptions."

I think that's the biggest problem, too. I don't think people realize that data can have a longer lifespan than they think, especially if they're "extended" by being chained with related bits of data.

LG's beer-making bot singlehandedly sucks all fun, boffinry from home brewing

Charles 9

Re: Why?

I got a bread machine for Christmas 15 years ago, and I'm proud to say it still works and I still use it as the whim arises. The instructions provided a nice basic loaf, and I don't mind the hole in the bottom, either; it's not that big anyway. But few things beat a freshly-baked loaf, especially when you don't have to be constantly working at it to get a good result; a set-and-forget appliance that's worth it (I simply tend to its initial mixing to ensure the dough ball collects everything--ensures a perfect loaf and almost no cleanup afterward).

Charles 9
Joke

Re: Jeffrey Bernard Is Unwell

I thought the only proper drink to have with Coke was rum (thus the Cuba LIbre or "Rum and Coca-Cola").

Charles 9

Re: Jeffrey Bernard Is Unwell

Never say that in front of a whiskey aficionado. Different grains impart different qualities, thus whiskeys from different regions have different characteristics. A corn-based Bourbon will be different from a barley-based Scotch.

Oxford startup magics up metamaterials for next-gen charging

Charles 9

Re: I have another theory

There's only one reason I'd use Qi charging: to free the port to use USB On-the-Go. Simply put, you can't charge and use USB OTG at the same time (the design prevents this, so don't believe any ads). Thankfully, someone thought about that and at least one tablet I use has TWO USB Micro sockets: the second dedicated for OTG use.

Charles 9

Re: I have another theory

If you fear for the longevity of your phone connector, there are other ways to do it, including 90-degree pigtails that fit neatly into the socket and then run a short bit up the back, leaving only a minor inconvenience. Besides, USB Micro and Type C connectors are designed to focus the stresses on the plug more than the socket.

Charles 9

I thought one of the problems was that wireless charging is more wasteful which usually manifests itself as heat, which as anyone knows is murder on these batteries...especially those that can't be replaced by the user when (not if) they start to break down.