* Posts by John Smith 19

16326 publicly visible posts • joined 10 Jun 2009

BoJo, don't misuse stats then blurt disclaimers when you get rumbled

John Smith 19 Gold badge
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"because every penny comes out of individual taxpayers pockets. I"

IOW every penny of "Government" money is in fact a penny of taxpayers money.

Which is a fair point.

However the actual quote does give quite a good sense of her inability to connect with human beings.

Something which May seems to share, although frankly I think Thatcher was somewhat smarter.

John Smith 19 Gold badge
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"to a bunch of science-denying cultists "

I think they would describe themselves as following the "One True Religion."

Mine's the one with a copy of "The Apocalypse Codex" in the pocket.

John Smith 19 Gold badge
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"I dunno how anyone fell for this nonsense in the first place. "

Me either.

But a lot actually did. Both in street interviews and of the Leave campaign leadership this is the "Big lie" that went over well.

That sound you hear is Joseph Goebbells punching the air and chanting "Ja! Ja! Ja"

John Smith 19 Gold badge
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" I don't see why people get worked up about it." IE the £350m on the NHS

Because the leave campaign have admitted it was the reason people voted leave?

Because it was (and is) blatant bu***hit that was denied (by the leave campaign) within a day of it being seen on the side of the bus?

Because instead of hiding or removing it they left this on the side of the bus, despite it being blatant bu***hit?

Because leave voters might feel they'd been played like "A banjo at an Ozark hoe down," to coin a phrase?

Google parks old pay-to-play auction in front of European Commission – reports

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"Critics argued that it turned punishment into a new revenue stream." Creepy Eric

and friends still not quite getting the idea of these "laws" that people are insisting his company actually obey.

Chap tames Slack by piping it into Emacs

John Smith 19 Gold badge
Happy

EMACS. Is there anything it cannot do?

To those with good enough LISP skills I guess the answer is "no."

Boffins discover tightest black hole binary system – and it's supermassive

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I'd like to name them "Vic & Vince" Vega

Because they are both very dark, and prone to causing extreme violence.

It's a Black suit jacket.

Congress battles Silicon Valley over upcoming US sex trafficking law

John Smith 19 Gold badge
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Old rule of legal thumb. Bad cases make bad laws.

This is the classic "Something MUST be done" of lawmakers when something too obvious turns up.

Freedom of speech is not just for people saying nice things

Something the operators of Backpage seem to understand but the "Honorable Ladies & Gentlemen" of the Con-gress mostly don't.

Off the top of my head I believe this young women's case comes under the Mann Act (transport across interstate lines for immoral purposes. AFAIK that's still on the books). Kidnapping, False Imprisonment and of course Murder. No new law needed. So WFT were LEO's doing while this was happening?

OTOH if this young woman fell for a line from here "boyfriend" and willingly co-operated, despite all attempts to tell her he was a known scumbag then this is basically a case of death by stupidity.

And if making stupid decisions was a crime I think you could lock up the whole Con-gress, for their frequent impersonations of badly behaved children in a playground.

Microsoft's AI is so good it steered Renault into bottom of the F1 league

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Hard to believe this was the company that introduced 1000hp turbo chargers to F1

Renault, not Microsoft of course.

What do you call an all-in-one PC that isn't? 'Upgradeable', says HP

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" built-in B&O speakers "

You're in PHB territory if those are what I think they are.

Someone checked and, yup, you can still hijack Gmail, Bitcoin wallets etc via dirty SS7 tricks

John Smith 19 Gold badge
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SS7 dates from the time when external telco networks could only be external telcos

IOW it's peer-to-peer where the peer is remote exchange or remote telco.

Today we now know that basically anyone could be on the other end of that connection, wired or wireless.

The implication of this is the attack surface for this is not your telco. It's every telco you're telco is connected to.

IE The world.

The developers vs enterprise architects showdown: You shall know us by our trail of diagrams

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When the business (and it's systems) gets big enough someone has to have the big picture.

All those little "agile" teams chewing on something and spitting out v 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 etc are very unlikely to talk to each other.

Systems which work together multiply their effects. That can multiply positively or negatively.

The odds on bet is a real EA will have been with the same company for decades and know it inside out. They are aware of new technology and can assess its impact to their business, even if they don't use it themselves. IOW they have very good BS detectors.

So there aren't very many real EA's around because it's damm hard to do right and IRL no modern company wants to pay the salary real ones deserve.

Sure, HoloLens is cute, but Ford was making VR work before it was cool

John Smith 19 Gold badge
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"You explain, I don't get it. You show me, I understand" Simple idea. 2-3 decades to achieve

And that's a hell of an achievement. To keep at it. To never quit.

As for Ford's spending didn't the go through 2 USG bailouts in the last 3 decades?

BTW Notice how much of that was "back end" data synchronization, reducing the amount of "massaging" to get the data sources compatible etc.

TBH I always suspected that for something as big as a car you'd need some kind of physical mockup. I think we are are just starting to get to the point where it can be fully virtual.

TfL hackathon showed data can keep transport running and people safe

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YOu can bet they didn't pull that idea together on the day.

But hackerthons sound like good places to pitch your companies capabilities.

Just don't expect any real "cold" application to come up from scratch as fast as one someone's probably spent months preping.

Mad scientist zaps himself to determine the power of electric eel shocks

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"I can understand the researcher doing the eeldance once, "

I've got something for the pain

Just how are HMRC’s IT systems going to cope with Brexit?

John Smith 19 Gold badge
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" a member of the IDMSX development team.final release..circa 1994/5."

Which gives some idea of how long CHIEF has been around for.

This tech is old. No wonder HMRC thinks most of the developers are dead.

How easy it'll be to adapt is of course another matter.

John Smith 19 Gold badge
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""I used to work with IDMS on VME when I was knee high to a grasshopper."

Well if you fancy another crack at it Let HMRC know, as they seem to think all the developers are dead.

John Smith 19 Gold badge
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Yup. It's VME hosting an app in IDMSX

Which is apparently a Codasyl compliant DB extended from IDMS, originally from "Culinet "

WTF that is. Now part of CA, but ICL got the source code, so no dealing with the sharky ones.

Probably big in the 70's.

If any old codgers out there know what any of that means HMRC or the Aspire consortium would probably like to hear from you. *

*Although you'll probably be paid in cat food. Stingy ba***ds

John Smith 19 Gold badge
Joke

It's obvious. Too many CHIEFs, not enough Indians

Boom boom.

Hmm. Fujitsu. I'm guessing big ass ICL mainframe? Proprietary 4GL almost no one has heard of?

And didn't anyone realize that Brexit would mean that while CDS is scoped to handle 3x what CHIEF is in fact (if) Brexit happend (y'know, worst case planning) in fact it would need to cope with a 6x rise?

Plus all those favorite ways to f**k up a project. Using IT to change an organization, rather than the other way round. Big bang. Undersized for expected work load and of course failure (and I'm sure it is a failure) to make the system flexible enough to cope with ongoing changes (IE Kerching. That's another £x000 for that mod).

Tech biz must be more export-focused, says defence kit minister

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We will just sell to the highest bidder, regardless who they are.

You mean as HMG did with various ships to the Argentinians before the Falklands War?

Yes that sounds an admirable plan.

John Smith 19 Gold badge
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Or maybe she was told "we've already got something that fits the bill" ?

"Something that will project power, an demonstrate the might of the Empire, vastly expensive, complex, huge, unmanouevrable, requiring a vast crew and an entire fleet of smaller vessels to defend itself; Of immense destructive power when its finished, but really very vulnerable."

<DV>

"I find your lack of faith in this death star BAe Systems product, disturbing"

</DV>

It's a full length, oversize black cloak.

John Smith 19 Gold badge
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Because remember folks, good business is where you find it.

Along with "I had guaranteed orders. Who cared if it didn't work?"

Just think, the Shoreditch incubator could give birth to the next BAe Systems.

Let's hear 3 rousing rounds of "Hip, Hip Hussar" for that.

Yeay.

EU's tech giant tax plan moves forward

John Smith 19 Gold badge
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"In a short while, will the new country of Catalonia be in the EU?"

Not a prayer.

The Spanish were very bothered by the Scottish independence referendum, especially the bit where the SNP wanted to leave the UK but then enter the EU as an independent nation. At the time they called it an internal matter, but I think they made it clear they would not be supporting a Scottish entry request.

Factoid. I did not know that Madrid /Barcelona football matches are viewed as "Internationals" by both teams. :-( .

John Smith 19 Gold badge
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"UK's tax code is now over ten million words" "The blame for that doesn't sit with Brussels,"

Quite true.

"it sits with the lazy and inept arts graduates staining the seats of Westminster."

Wrong. They will rubber stamp more or less anything.

let me suggest that the habit of the HMRC to hire senior partners of the "big 5" accountancy firms as "Special Advisors" (or con-sultants as I prefer) who then go back and advise their high-net-worth clients and major companies on the laws they have had a major (but hidden) part in drafting might have something to do with it.

One very useful tool for all tax matters is to cast the rules as a Decision Table. A rarely taught (but very useful) software development tool.

Senators call for '9/11-style' commission on computer voting security

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Russia & the US. It's the words of Benjamin Disraeli

"Countries have no permanent friends, only permanent interests."

Although I also rather liked the comment from the lawyer in the book "Rogue Mail."

"You may eat with the best people. You may even sleep with them, if they will allow it. But you don't trust them. Not entirely. Not ever."

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I wonder if there really is someone called "Gerry Mander" on Linkedin that could take on this

Just saying.

Who'd have thought the USG would resort to technology to solve a human problem and then f**k up the implementation?

I'm shocked. Shocked I say.

Sprint CEO straight out accuses Verizon counterpart of LYING

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Aren't they all a bit s**t?

Too many subscribers chasing too little back haul while the network tries to re-coup the actual cost of your "free" mobile phone?

The architecture for sharing tokens across blockchains promises traction

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Is anyone hearing the words of Frank Herbert?

He who controls the hub controls the world.

If your wealth can be cancelled by issuing a token it's not really your wealth, is it?

Fancy that! Craft which float over everything on a cushion of air

John Smith 19 Gold badge
Boffin

I think they are very tricky to steer.

Low friction with whatever they are going over. High inertia of vehicle. So you can spin the vehicle on its axis, but it's still going in the original direction, but facing backward.

That said. All terrain vehicle. Propulsion can be be enclosed. Goes up hill with enough power (or maybe a front winch ?) so quite attractive to the military and (in theory) farmers whose fields are liable to flooding.

Generically hovercraft are "low flying aircraft" using the "ground effect" like the infamous (and even noiser) "Caspian sea monster." Ground effect is (loosely) the aerodynamic equivalent of the electromagnetic "near field" of lens or antenna, extending roughly to an aircraft wing span. Cockrell through "Why not create an artificial ground effect?" Today "air pads" are probably most used to move big stuff (like the F9 rocket) around factories with little effort.

UK Data Protection Bill lands: Oh dear, security researchers – where's your exemption?

John Smith 19 Gold badge
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As for those companies needing to process data from the rest of the EU I'm sure

most of them will stay in the UK and continue to support their loyal work force.

Except for the (no doubt) small minority of more "ethically challenged" businesses, who will resort to less gentlemanly tactics.

Such as setting up a parallel company in some part of the EU that's not planning to leave it and is more business and living expense friendly, switching over all the data feeds on Friday night and putting the UK operation into liquidation so the staff (try to) come in Monday morning and find no company and no redundancy.

Although I'm sure that will only be a very small minority of those affected, and run by scoundrels.

John Smith 19 Gold badge
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"They already are moving the data."

That was sort of my point.

Of course only time will tell if this is a minor readjustment by the very most twitchy companies or if it's a general data exodus from the UK to the rest of the EU, and of course wheather the jobs to process, store and protect it go with them.

But either way UK IT staff will be finding out real soon.

Have you noticed how often these questions come down to "That's a tricky legal area?"

Better hope David Davis and his Brexit negotiating team are playing their "A" game.

John Smith 19 Gold badge
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But if you think that's bad, consider it from the other EU members perspecitve.

Because if they can't figure out wheather their data is protected in the UK they have a simple option.

Don't deal with the UK.

Delusional morons Brexiteers will sniff "Good riddance," but I think people might be surprised how many businesses depend on a data flow from Europe to carry out their business. Either they move to an actual EU country, or they lose that business.

John Smith 19 Gold badge
Big Brother

" So, dictatorship by the back door... wonderful"

Or perhaps they should just retitle it "The Act of Enablement"

The classic question is how much of this garbage is TBD using the "Statutory Instrument."

As favored by the Dark Lord Mandelscum.

John Smith 19 Gold badge
Gimp

"valid data..request..not change or withhold any of that data before giving it to.. data subject."

I guarantee that clause will have the usual data fetishist Police, National Security and anyone-else-we-damm-well-please exemption clause

Rise Of the Tiny Machines: Boffins cook up autonomous DNA sorting robot

John Smith 19 Gold badge
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Astonishing. Sorting without energy.

IE at no cost.

Every PHB's dream?

This looks like it might actually be something like the start of (perhaps) actual nanotechnology.

So, yes, maybe. Thumbs up.

DARPA lays out cash-splash to defibrillate Moore's Law

John Smith 19 Gold badge
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Ooops, nearly forgot.

You'd need a YEN, to make the complete Cabaret project set.

My bad.

John Smith 19 Gold badge
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Got a FRANC, now we need a MARK, BUCK and POUND

Cause that's what makes the world go round.

Mines the one with the old "Cabaret" CD in the pocket.

But seriously. Here's the thing.

The current road map says 2017 is the 10nm node

10nm is 48 Silicon atoms. And that's proving to be b**ls achingly difficult to produce, and historically the oxide layer is 1/10 the line width. Currently it takes essentially a re-mapping and re-factoring of the minimum geometry into easier to image geometry that the exposure tools can deal with, multiplying the number of masks needed.

Chirpy, chirpy, cheap, cheap: Printable IoT radios for 10 cents each

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"These guys seem to have increased the bandwidth, but not the range."

Yes and no.

The system uses a "spread spectrum" system, like GPS. In GPS the received bandwidth (for the civilian signal) is 1.024MHz. The actual data stream is only 50 bps.

For this it's about 18bps, but again very wide radio bandwidth.

OTOH "The Thing" carried voice through mechanical FM of carrier in the 100s, or 1000s of MHz, so its bandwidth was about that of a low pass voice signal, 3-5KHz.

The trick (in theory) is you can interrogate lots of these IoT with different spreading codes (maybe).

John Smith 19 Gold badge
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I have skimmed the report. Interesting for what it leaves out as what it puts in.

It is pretty clever but there a few things they are rather coy about.

1) This is not "printed electronics." They are saying that it could be powered by a printed battery. The encoder is way too complex to be printed, and will be a chip. No surprise there as a cutting edge printed transistor is about 50MHz max. No use for GHz RF comms.

2)That chip does not exist yet. They simulated it. Based on that sim they expect it to run on the battery they describe.

3) Yes the range is very impressive for the power (theoretically) required.

4)They had to reverse engineer the lowest level protocols. IOW either they pay a license fee over if Jeeva Technology (company some of them have formed to market it) goes further, or expect some legal grief in an East Texas court on IP/Patent/Copyright/Whatever else-we-can-stick-them-with from the proprietary protocol owners.

So still got a fairly complex mixed mode chip to get mfg and tested.

John Smith 19 Gold badge
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want to know, who will be the first to receive a complaint of a flat battery in a passive IoT?

No one.

A printed battery is in fact still a battery.

Facebook posts put Pharma Bro Martin Shkreli in prison as a danger to society

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" You would need a heart of stone not to laugh"

And I am not that man either.

He looks (and sounds) like a real poster boy for the "I'm so entitled, taxes are for the little people" sub 1% of US society that he so deserves a good slap.

But remember, just because others like him don't come across as obvious Aholes does not mean they aren't even bigger ones.

They are just quieter about it.

Government lab that gives a crap pushes open source

John Smith 19 Gold badge
IT Angle

"RAVEN is..a workflow engine with the capability to drive simulators and model complex systems,""

So maybe of use to a few people other than the nuclear industry?

Sounds quite intriguing.

TBH I knew INL was in Indaho, but I mostly associated it with the place the US builds its test nuclear reactors (and some times blows them up).

Given the monster size of US commercial dairy (and pig and chicken) units I'm amazed they aren't all running anaerobic digestters for either constant temperature heating or electricity (IIRC one or two of the more advanced ones do run vehicles on it).

Cassini probe's death dive to send data at just 27 kilobits per second

John Smith 19 Gold badge
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""If it left a cubesat type device behind it could transit images and tons more data"

True, but cube sats had not been thought of when it was launched.

This is the problem with these once-a-career launch opportunities.

They are so rare that no one wants to "waste" a gram on a relay package that would only pay off at the end of the mission, or serve a follow on mission that may not be even planned for another decade.

New Horizons probe awakens to receive software upgrade

John Smith 19 Gold badge
Go

Astonishing.

This is now 30 AU from Earth, about 4.46 million Km from Earth.

Interestingly because it got there a lot faster than the Voyagers its also got a much more powerful computer.

Let's hope memory and processor are in as good a shape for its next encounter.

US government sued by 11 pissed-off travellers over computer searches

John Smith 19 Gold badge
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"Of course, I am an Evil Foreigner"

Yes. For the TSA that really is "probable cause."

John Smith 19 Gold badge
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"Hopefully we can start by NOT permanently approving (or re-approving at all!) section 702"

My impression of US politicians is they move in a personal bubble and have the attention span of a gold fish with dementia.

IOW No TSA officer will ever bother them, so they won't think it's a problem (I've been through Customs lots of time without a problem") and won't get bothered unless enough people start bothering them.

So US readers, if you want this scrapped you'd better start bothering your them.

Y'know, your elected representatives.

Get them to start representing you.

John Smith 19 Gold badge
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"Bunch of little Nazis the TSA is."

Actually the ones at Newark I saw a while ago weren't so little. More this size

Signs of ground ice found on ancient protoplanet asteroid Vesta

John Smith 19 Gold badge
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In principle an asteroid is easier to land on

In fact given it's surface gravity is almost zero it'd be more like a docking than a landing,

Of course the question remains, how deep is it?

Excellent work though, although it does still seem a bit circumstantial to me.

Act fast to get post-Brexit data deal, Brit biz urges UK.gov

John Smith 19 Gold badge
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"You mean planes and ships lacking spare parts and proper equipment for duty?"

Well the UK does have one of the Worlds most expensive aircraft carriers (and another on order), and it's not even nuclear powered.*

I'm sure British taxpayers can feel justifiably proud of their contribution to BAe's revenues.

*And of course it'll be even better when it gets some actual aircraft and weapons systems fitted.