* Posts by James 51

3426 publicly visible posts • joined 23 Jun 2009

'Panama papers' came from email server hack at Mossack Fonseca

James 51

Re: Given the scarcity of items on our cousins in the material released...

There have been stories and programs about Putin and his circle of friends and advisers before this leak came to light. Guessing they went with the stuff they were already familiar with and could verify quickly.

Go nuts, brother: Ubuntu 16.04 beta – no more auto data-spaffing

James 51
Flame

And here I was hoping to upgrade to the new AMD APUs or CPU/GPU combo at the end if the year. Will have to do a bit more digging into the driver issue.

Pebble axes quarter of its workers after fitness pivot

James 51

Original app with an original steel. I'll give the time app a go.

James 51

That is a great pity. I'm far more interested in them fixing the flaky performance of the Android app. It's the easy and discreet awareness of texts and calls that interests me.

Microsoft files patent for 'PhonePad', hints at future Windows plans

James 51
Boffin

Re: Linky

You've just described the Bridge between a Blackberry phone and a Playbook (their excellent if misunderstood tablet).

Hollywood could learn a lot from software devs, says GitLab founder

James 51

Once on a long dull Christmas holiday I decided to watch Transformers for a second time. Every time Shia leBeouf came on the screen I hit fast forward until he was gone. It was both much shorter and (in comparison) a much better movie. Maybe this can be come the official 'cut'.

Personally I am looking forward to the Darth Jar Jar cut of Episodes I, II and III and the indoctrination ending to Mass Effect 3.

Why should you care about Google's AI winning a board game?

James 51

Re: Gary has his perspective

Your local library website might have it via overdrive.

Boss of classified ad website Backpage.com faces first contempt of Congress in 20 years

James 51

I think the way it works it that they can compel him to attend but all he has to do after that is claim the 5th and get out a crossword puzzle.

Hey Windows 10, weren't you supposed to help PC sales?

James 51
Linux

Somehow the Win10 autoinstall or nagware managed to kill my Win7 desktop (guessing it was that as when I try to recover the installation I get a you're running a newer version of Windows error and refuses to budge). Have been booting into my Linux drive and have been meaning to getting round to fixing it. That was over two months ago and aside from a few games, I don't really miss it.

Cops hacked the Police National Computer to unlawfully retain suspects' biometric data

James 51

And that the info will stand up in court even though it was illegally obtained/retained.

Microsoft SQL Server for Linux is a brilliant and logical idea

James 51

Re: [is] Microsoft’s heart is really in the Windows Server business?

We had a lot of VB apps running on people's desktops. Over the last few years we've been rewriting them as webpages as they've needed updating. Hopefully it means we won't get stung by an unsupported platform again and also people can use Windows, Macs, Linux or even their phones to get stuff done.

UK plans robo-car tests on motorways in 2017

James 51

Unless the diverless lorries can get people to sign paper work and unload the cargo themselves they'll still need someone on board. A smaller number of people will need to be stationed around the country to resolve the problems they will have too.

We’re so over Uber: Italy ponders slapping taxes on workers in the ‘sharing economy’

James 51
Devil

Re: Isn't it supposed to be all declared on Self Assessment anyway?

It's suppose to be

http://www.economist.com/node/16438727/

7,800 people's biometric data held on police anti-terrorism database

James 51

"As I indicated in my Report I will continue to keep these problems – and the urgent work that is being done by the Metropolitan Police in relation to them – under close and active review."

Just a pity he doesn't seem to be able to do anything about it.

Home Office is cruising for a lawsuit over police use of face recog tech

James 51

It will take politicians and police persons (and senior ones at that) going to jail before the 'fail first and get the law changed later' approach to be altered to something 'We up hold the law, it would help if we obeyed it too.'

Tech biz bosses tell El Reg a Brexit will lead to a UK Techxit

James 51

Re: I wonder if Dublin would pick up a lot of the business.

Both are processes that would take years unless Scotland stays in the UK and the other parts leave though every time I suggest that I do tend to get a few down votes. It would allow everyone to get what they want in that scenario though.

James 51

I wonder if Dublin would pick up a lot of the business. Same language (mostly), not a million miles away and firmly inside in the EU. Even (the country) shares the only land border with the UK. The Common Travel Area would probably survive a Brexit and would allow firms based there to enjoy the same talent pool with roughly the same paperwork as London does now.

What's next? FBI telling us to turn iPhones into pocket spy bugs? It'll happen, says Apple exec

James 51
Childcatcher

Exactly like the N900.

Stop whining, America: Your LTE makes Europe look slow

James 51

Sounds like if you want decent coverage in the US you need to get a satellite phone and it doesn't work out as that expensive compared to standard phone contracts.

James 51
Megaphone

Don't forget coverage.

Chinese boffins grow new eye lenses using stem cells

James 51

I need to brush up on my terminology. Assuming that the work holds up (can't help but remember the Japanese STAP scandal when reading about new breakthroughs) it could be another useful tool.

James 51

What was the source of the stem cells? Ethical and legal problems could end up holding progress in the field back.

HTC teases yet another make-or-break comeback flagship

James 51

Re: Where's the diversity ?

There's the Priv, Password and Q5/Q10/Classic from Blackberry.

Verizon fined just $1.4m for stalker supercookies

James 51

Would using a VPN or websites using HTTPS help prevent this? If so one more reason to attach Netflix's blocking of VPNs.

US slaps trade ban on ZTE over Iran links

James 51
Alien

Re: Control issue in crazed dementia patient

I need to stock up on tinned goods (and check my tea). amanfromMars1 is starting to make sense again...

UK.gov will scrutinise all its Atos contracts following IT cock-up

James 51

Given the number of gov IT failures and the investigations into why so steps can be implemented so it never happens again; the question that occurs to me is how may unique ways are there to mess things up this badly?

Vendor rep 'Stinky Sam' told to wash and brush teeth or lose job

James 51

It is a good warning that sometimes it's not enough to be right.

No more Nookie for Blighty as Barnes & Noble pulls out

James 51

Re: Paper books

True but I've got only so much shelf space. That's the biggest advantage digital has. There are ebook websites (such as TOR) that sell books DRM free. I feel obliged to mention Black Library as well but given they've jacked the price of their ebooks up higher than the hard backs in many cases my advice would be to avoid them.

Ad-blockers are a Mafia-style 'protection racket' – UK's Minister of Fun

James 51

Thanks, I'll have to look into that.

James 51

Auto-play video ads are incredibly annoying. Banning them would be a good start.

NASA compiles Scott Kelly space photo album

James 51
Thumb Up

It must be tricky to take good shots on the ISS. Exposure must an issue along with the difficultly with keeping steady in zero g. Not to mention what accidentally pointing it at the sun would do to it.

Safe Harbour v2.0 greenlights six bulk data collection excuses

James 51

Don't forget that the TSA can take your electrical equipment without a warrant when you're entering the country:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/07/14/citizenfour_director_poitras_sues_us_over_borderline_harassment/

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/03/24/us_border_control_laptop_searches/

Irate IT distributors chase Amazon over unpaid bills

James 51

Taken from https://county-courts.co.uk/small-claims-court/:

The financial value of small claims court cases

To be placed in the small claims track the financial value of the County Court claim being presented must be less than £10,000. Cases involving personal injuries will be allocated to the small claims court if they do not exceed £1,000, while disputes between landlords and tenants are also only applicable if they the amount being disputed is less then £1,000.

There are rare exceptions where, even though the financial value of the case, both parties agree that they would like the proceeding to take place in the small claims court. While this could mean the dispute is settled more rapidly, it also means that the normal rules of the small claims track are thrown out the window, and each party becomes potentially liable for the others legal fees, including solicitors costs.

Common types of small claims court cases

Compensation for flawed services and negligent professionals

Consumer disputes over defective goods and breaches of contract

Landlord and tenant disputes over missing rent or failure to repair the property

Non-payment of wages or other debt related disputes

If the value of the stuff is high enough the court might not be able to hear it and the small supplier risks being sued into submission by a company with much deeper pockets.

James 51

"Another distributor claimed Amazon had asked them to write off some money"

In other words, thanks for paying us to take this valuable stuff off your hands. I can see that as a lasting and stable arrangement.

Google Project Zero reverse-engineers Windows path hacks for better security

James 51

Presumably MS will get round to removing this 'service' from (Unlocked) Window 10.

Samsung starts cranking out 256GB mobile memory modules

James 51

Trying to sync over 30gb of music and podcasts can take a while but usually only have to do it once every few years.

James 51

Apple products aren't about practicality, it's about being able to beat anyone who doesn't have one over the head with yours in a socially acceptable manner.

James 51

The price should come down eventually. Until then, I can see these being the basis for an extremely exclusive ipod.

GitHubber wants to revive the first Unix in a PDP-7 emulator

James 51
Alien

Re: A ruguous yet squamous code revivla

Under that rubber mask I know you're amanfrommars1.

SCO vs. IBM looks like it's over for good

James 51

It's the end of an error.

How many books are going to be written about this? Here's hoping the IT industry finds better ways to sort things out and bleak housesque law suits.

Humans – 1 Robots – 0: Mercedes deautomates production lines

James 51

Re: Good little consumers...

"paid workers can buy cars"

This was one thing that Ford got right. Workers need to be paid enough to live and preferably be able to buy the things they are making too. Not treated like a cash drain and fired when they complain.

Apple fires legal salvo at FBI for using All Writs law in iPhone brouhaha

James 51

Re: Pandora's box

" Or would that possibly expand to include an automatic trigger for failing to reveal the password: presumptive guilt plus fifty years in federal prison for failure to comply."

Don't forget in the UK already has this password law in place.

James 51

Re: "the world will not end"

"nearly impossible to investigate and harder to prevent." Makes you wonder how Irish Terrorism didn't take over the world in the 70s.

James 51

"rescue neighborhoods from terrorists"

Shouldn't this be drug dealers or gangs? I think the <insert enemy du jour> didn't quite scan here.

JavaScript daddy's Brave ad-blocker hits Android, Apple stores

James 51

DNT is just a request. When IE was going to have it on my default a lot of website owners said they were going to ignore it as they assumed the user didn't know it was their and wanted to 'improve the user experience'.

Patient monitors altered, drug dispensary popped in colossal hospital hack

James 51
Headmaster

Already emailed tips and corrections

"in medical responses that injury or kill patients."

surely that should be injure?

This program can detect if you're bored – which is going to make annoying ads, articles so much more annoying

James 51

Re: It won't be long until

Hold a photo up to the camera, it will be very happy.

James 51

"Microsoft's Kinect development kit can read your heartbeat already"

I can tell you from experience that it really can't.

One flaw in the system, can it tell the difference between engagement and falling alseep?

Cameron co-opts UK mobile industry for EU Remain campaign

James 51

wondered why her Polish neighbours got better benefits than her

? Without context this could be so misleading. Perhaps the neighbor has been paying tax in the UK for a long time and is now on maternity leave or long term sick due to illness or injury (my wife is self employed and the amount of support she gets in those scenarios depends on the level of NI she has chosen to pay). Maybe they just got off a Rynair flight and were brought straight from the airport to Buckingham Palace in a gold carriage. If they earned a lot more than their neighbor and didn't qualify for various in work benefits that could be another reason.

There are times when I and my kids have gone past the people queuing in A&E to be seen but no one was exactly envious of us.

'Leave' or 'Stay' in the referendum? UK has to implement GDPR either way

James 51

Re: Stop repeating rubbish please

Most people on the el reg forums probably wouldn't have too much trouble getting a passport from another country (highly skilled professional in a modern industry, here's the forms and don't forget to learn the local language, makes life a lot easier). It's everyone else who's stuck here if things go pair shaped I feel sorry for.