* Posts by James 51

3426 publicly visible posts • joined 23 Jun 2009

Sociology student gets a First for dissertation on Kardashians

James 51
Boffin

Re: Embarrassed

10,000 words for my thesis as well. When I got to 14,000 and realised I could easily get to twenty, had to find a clever way to dismiss half of what I had already written. Thankfully I'd picked advanced concepts and their potential and IBM shipped some demonstration models based on them to a few of their customers so they actual products now and didn't count.

Space prang of cosmic proportions blamed for giving Mars its moons

James 51

Re: Conjecture

The counter point being we have the ability to observe things as they are now and we can use that information to eliminate a lot of theories. Not to mention I'd expect the theories to explain exoplanets as well.

James 51

And Earth was probably hit by something Mars sized. The early solar system sounds like it was a metaphorical bar room brawl.

Mozilla emits nightly builds of heir-to-Firefox browser engine Servo

James 51

Shiny.

New phones rumoured as BlackBerry cans BB10 production

James 51

Crackberry covered this a few days ago:

http://crackberry.com/us-senate-staffers-blackberry

The tag is is 'Because it's not true'. It is still possible to buy the full line up from www.blackberry.com/ I think I'll be waiting for an official pronouncement.

Michael Gove says Britain needs to create its own DARPA

James 51

Re: "...Theresa May, who is considered more moderate..."

That just means she really wants to be PM and wants to shed her image as the crazy cat lady as there isn't sufficient support. In a few years things might change. After all once we don't have the EU to scapegoat the Tories are going to need another external agency to blame for the country's ills.

Here's how police arrested Lauri Love – and what happened next

James 51
Big Brother

Re: Although the burden of proof lies with Love

This is an extremely dangerous law that violates the right to silence and is ripe for extreme, unprovable abuse. All the police have to do is say that they believe you have the password and you are guilty if you do not hand it over. There is no defense beyond proving a negative. Of course if the first time you saw the USB stick was when an officer dropped it into an evidence bag, how are you going to prove that?

Fear and Brexit in Tech City: Digital 'elite' are having a nervous breakdown

James 51

Re: The current plan does not matter

In theory with the agreement of all 28 countries the deadline could be extended past two years. However it is difficult to see this happening in practice.

Amazon slashes mobe prices to get more eyes on lockscreen ads

James 51

It's a pity that the Blackberry Passport SE isn't in this offer given Blackberry have stuck Amazon apps on their phones. Of course then I'd use an autoloader to get rid of it afterwards.

What Brexit means for you as a motorist

James 51

Actually they didn't and they don't:

http://news.sky.com/story/1717826/backtrack-on-give-nhs-350m-eu-money-promise

Just below the second picture (the one of Boris wrestling with his hair).

James 51

Re: 'Brexit could make the insurance industry more competitive'

Both could apply. Lower pay outs on the same issues and offering insurance for fewer circumstances.

James 51

Re: Passport, driving licence validity

I always thought that the Great Britain part was Scotland, England and Wales as the 'great' part was an issue with multiple islands near by having the same name and the largest was called great <island name>. If that is accurate I doubt rUK or England and Wales would be able to accurately use the term Great Britain to describe themselves.

James 51

Assuming they're not dead cat bounces pensions and businesses like banks have taken a tremendous beating. Brexit changes the structure of the UK economy in the long term. We have all the weakness and disadvantages mid and long term spelled out but no one can know if there will be any advantages. Wondering about what is going to happen isn't meaningless, it means we can respond faster to a given scenario as we've already thought about it. I just wish the leave campaign had a plan for winning.

James 51

Re: I think it's all a joke......for the most part

Indeed. Just like BHS and Woolworths.

James 51

Re: Passport, driving licence validity

Your (I am assuming) UK driving license is valid in France under EU law/treaties etc etc. Depending on how far outside of the EU we stray, that particular law/treaty etc etc might not apply any more. In which case the Brexit team has two years to negotiate an international treaty with the EU, have it signed and ratified and perhaps have laws passed in twenty eight countries to implement it. With the two years cause I don't see that deadline being extended. That's why your driving license might not be valid in France or twenty six other countries in a few years time.

James 51

'Brexit could make the insurance industry more competitive'

Doesn't you mean allow it to offer less protection?

James 51

Re: On the plus side...

Actually they've brought visas back in all but name and now they want you to hand over all your social media info too.

Plymouth 'animal rights' teen admits Florida SeaWorld cyber attack

James 51

I remember reading about the orca that killed its handler. One expert said that as it was raised and lived alone it was basically crazy and from that perspective the attack was still a shock but not a surprise.

James 51

I would have thought strapped to a gurney would be a better comparison or perhaps trapped in a coffin.

PAC slams UK.gov for lack of evidence-based science investments

James 51

'safeguarding the benefits resulting from those decisions'

Sounds like she wants to patent stuff like gravity.

Osborne on Leave limbo: Travel and trade stay unchanged

James 51
Facepalm

Re: Wishful thinking

If Frankfurt tells Berlin 'Hey, we'll bring in ten times what the auto industry is worth of you can take London down a peg or two.' your argument is then set on quick sand.

James 51

Re: Growing Sense of bereavement..

If you're rich, white, from a privileged background and preferably male

More excuses.

No an excuse, just a fact. Looking around at the leaders of both campaigns there wasn't much diversity in them. The few faces who didn't fit were put in the public eye as much as possible to counter the impression that it is otherwise.

So get off your arse and start plugging leaks, FFS. Don't just sit there hoping a luxury cruise liner will pass by.

How? I voted remain, my local politicians campaigned for remain and I've been telling everyone who would listen for months than brexit was a bad idea. What else do you suggest?

You don't seem to realise that one of the very strong driving forces behind the Leave campaign was to get rid of the arrogant EU elite who are so convinced of their own infallibility that anyone who disagrees with them must be wrong, and will be told to vote again, and again, until they "get it right".

You do realise you just described the leadership of both campaigns and Farage in particular? The leave campaign has come out and said most if not all of what they promised will never happen. If I was going to be unkind I'd say they knowingly lied to the British public. A lot of what the remain campaign said would happen has come to pass.

Brussels has done stuff like protect all of us from 90 detention, safe harbour failures, privacy invasion on a grand scale from our own government, clean beaches and clean water and many more things like that.

There is a scene in the West Wing were a poll tells some politicians that some people won't support gun controls and they decide to give up on it until an adviser says this should just spur them into fighting harder and convince enough people that they should change their position. That is the position I think the remain campaign should take. I know it's the position Farage has already said he would take if the roles were reversed.

James 51

Re: Growing Sense of bereavement..

I think the budget was delayed so that brexiters would have to be the ones to announce and implement it. Why bother getting your hands doing something you don't want to do and warned everyone about and get the blame for it when you can wait a few months, then point at laugh safe on your big pile of money.

James 51

Re: Give us the emergency budget!

One article pointed out that by announcing his standing down, Cameron had outmaneuvered the brexiters. They were hoping that he would be the one who would have to do all the painful things and leave them with their hands clean. That's why they were so keen for him to stay. Waiting for the new budget is in part to show how unprepared the leave campaign is for its 'victory' and is the new 'There's no money left.' note. Plus the blame for all those cuts and tax hikes will be with the Brexiter (probably Boris) who wins the leadership contest rather than the Cameron putting the blame squarely and fairly were it belongs.

James 51

Re: Growing Sense of bereavement..

If you're rich, white, from a privileged background and preferably male like most of those leading the leave campaign then yes, you've got lots of opportunities to take advantage of. Everyone else however is in a leaky boat with no paddle. As for just accepting it, if a narrow loss was good enough for Farage to demand another swing at it, I don't see why remain should be any different.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-eu-referendum-36306681

Europe's UK-backed Unified Patent Court 'could be derailed'

James 51
Childcatcher

Could always bilaterally take on all the regulations and costs. Maybe even build in a role on consultation for the UK when it comes to amending the rules. Lets all ask Boris, Gove and Farage what they think. Of course until negotiations can take place it's all just speculation on our part.

Magnetic, heat scanners to catch Tour de France electric motor cheats

James 51

Re: I would watch The Tour Doped France

Because the moment you can sell your safety you must sell your safety.

Parliament takes axe to 2nd EU referendum petition

James 51

"Normally parents admonish their children for throwing their toys out of the pram."

And if they are throwing out a poisoned chalice?

EU GDPR compliance still a thing for UK firms even after Brexit

James 51

Re: Pop!

This sounds a lot like 'Our cars are cheaper because we don't need seatbelts.' style of argument.

Brexit and data protection: A period of shock and reflection

James 51

You missed the step were the post office has someone standing at the door with copies of the forms to become an Irish citizen/get an Irish passport in Irish because they've run out of the ones in English. The website which comes first in google for getting an Irish passport/becoming a citizen was unavailable this morning. I'm guessing was effectively DDOSed by people looking for information.

BTW is that German beer?

Patriotic Brits rush into streets to celebrate… National Cream Tea Day

James 51
Megaphone

Re: An issue that bitterly divides the country

No cream, just jam.

Germany: If Brits vote to Remain, we'll admit Hurst's 1966 goal was a goal

James 51

Re: See what can happen when you work together?

There aren't that many regulations on pillows. John Oliver exposed the manipulation of the facts required to come up with that number.

Huawei taps ex-Nokia devs for 'secret phone OS project'

James 51

Re: psst,

Long live BB10! Blackberry have a father's day sale on as well. Sorely tempted to pick up a Passport SE.

No contract protected against the risk of bid-rigging, says expert

James 51

Kick backs or knowingly underbidding the actual cost. You see this a lot in UK government IT contracts. When we said it would cost, a hundred million, we really meant two hundred and it might end up costing a billion (which we knew all along but would never have won the bid if we had told the truth).

Intel still chip, chip, chippin' away at the European Commission's anti-trust fine

James 51

Inflation has eroded the impact of the original fine. Wonder if the extra money in lawyers fees was worth it though. Guess no corp is going to let any fine be imposed without a legal WW3 first.

Cash-strapped English and Welsh cops prepare to centralise all 43 forces' websites

James 51

For a moment I thought the headline was going to end with civil forfeiture. Still got a bad feeling about this. Not that it couldn't work but would need prove that it will.

Drubbed StubHub carder grub guilty, faces 12 years in cooler club

James 51

I think the lesson we can all draw from this is that if you're a Russian cyber criminal, never target Russians and never leave the country.

Lycamobile offices 'raided over fraud allegations' – report

James 51

Re: I smell a refund

With the general level ability displayed by the SFO we'll end up paying Lycamobile for something.

Good hacker uses vid vulns to spy on Quebec Liberal Party meetings

James 51
Childcatcher

Re: The ROFL moment in this article ?

They might be locked into a contract that makes it difficult to get out no matter how incompetent the supplier is. Of course perhaps they were warned to change passwords and such but didn't. I doubt there will be enough detail released (commercial confidentially and all that jazz) to find out why.

Baidu tech chief: AI smart enough to take our jobs, not our lives. Yet

James 51

Re: So lawyers will be obsolete?

I can't remember the details of the story but there is a si-fi novel were an electronic pope can pardon or condemn criminals to a penal planet. Of course once the hero gets there he finds out his father rigged the electronic pope to keep bad people away and let only people they wanted through.

Meet the 1,000 core chip that can be powered by an AA battery

James 51
Joke

So we know which CPU the iPhone 7 will be using then.

Hey cloud lawyer: Can I take my client list with me?

James 51

In my last job I had four weeks leave built up. Handed my notice in and was told I might get paid that but I wouldn't know until a month after I left and it was entirely at the mercy of the HR boss I'd just had a massive row with. I staid two days for the sake of decency and handing stuff off to the rest of my team and that was me out of there.

James 51

What's to stop you giving your client list a call to say 'Cherrio, I'm off to greener pastures at x. Not sure who/y will be handling your account in the future. Good luck.'?

Dell close to selling software division for $2bn – reports

James 51
Joke

“three people familiar with the matter”

Oh please let them be called Curly, Larry and Moe.

Snoopers' Charter 'goes too far' says retired Met assistant commish

James 51

It will be good for embarrassing people you don't like.

James 51

Re: So then

A referendum on a less undemocratic election process and reigning in the worst of the Tories excesses.

James 51

I know (haven't forgotten the whole ID cards thing) but was hoping they'd at least pretend to care and step in here.

James 51

Time like these I wish the Lib Dems still had a big voice in parliament or that labour stood up against Tory rights bashing.

Apple's 'lappable' iPad Pro concept is far from laughable

James 51

Re: Shock Horror - A positive review of an Apple 'thing'

It wasn't exactly a review, more of an anecdote. I'd think if it was a review there would be more rigor. I was able to do much the same with my playbook and a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse (or even my 9320 and then Q10) four or five years ago. I was able to create some fairly complex diagrams with an app I bought for it too and type up coursework for the OU on it. Stuff like this useful, but it's not ready to be a primary device for anyone but the most undemanding of users.

Ransomware scum build weapon from JavaScript

James 51

Re: Say what you like

They don't impress me any more than someone stepping out of a dark alley does. There is just less risk for the criminals this way.