Posts by Jim 59

Re: Not Engineering

"...that subset of people, who know a particular recording well on their own system, will likely be able to discern a difference between a properly mastered 24 bit recording (not just taking a 16bit recording and resampling it at 24bit, that would be pointless) and a properly mastered 16 bit recording, all other things being equal, of a recording they already know well. They do sound different and the ear is surprisingly capable of discerning even tiny differences in the right circumstances. I"

Hi AC the myth of people with "golden ears" has log been used to sell preposterous "hifi" equipment. (I am not talking about those with good pitch or equalization / mixing talent). Some have claimed to hear the effect of tying a knot in the speaker cable. The well known effect of "experimenter expectancy" surely operates. The difference is there, but in perception only, it is a psychological effect. Which is why the claims never survive a blind test.

I don't object to that really, I just don't like seeing people being expensively duped, particularly people who are artistic, sensitive, knowledgeable and committed to music, high culture and black jumpers and (dare i say it) not too technical. And I like it even less when the chicanery tries to pass itself off as Engineering. It isn't.

Re: I didn't ask for no heartbeat...

Conservatism is right. A Debian server of mine is safe from Hearbleed, purely because it is still on Debian 6. I haven't upgrades to 7 yet, even though support runs out in a month or so.

For secure systems, a balance is needed so that the system does not become too out-of-date, but not too up-to-date either. These low level libraries contain some of the most important code in the world, it seems, and they have perhaps got the balance a bit wrong this time.

Pincushion effect

Was pincushion distortion, if it exists outside curved TV sales meetings, reduced by the old fashioned curved (outwards) CRT screens ?

Re: Animals

@bolccg your basic view is reasonable, but you promote it using the tools of extremism - labeling Eich an "overt homophobe", denouncing as "raging homophobes" anyone who might be thinking of contradicting you. And comparing Eich to an active antisemite, thus smearing him with all the horrifying historical connotations. So he is labelled, smeared, and condemned, as well as sacked. Debate is shut down because those who might have spoken out do not want similar treatment. You are immutable. You have won.

Extremism begets extremism and fear. Say no to it, and say "yes" to open debate, reasonableness and common sense. Applies to both sides.

Seems like goodies vs baddies to me. May actually improve child's sense of right and wrong.

Won't do much for their English literature though. That dark character is a mash up of Dracula, Batfiink and darth Vader.

LOL. The photo background shows how the London skyline would look if a small number of architecture consultancies were just allowed throw up a collection of cheap, brutalist, mindless buildings in a random variety of styles and positions, with zero sympathy for the surroundings, historical setting or the human inhabitants. Imagine if that really happened.

Re: Will you read the goddam article?!

Thanks for explaining "so I can understand". Just to clarify: the blogger was not just a passivie recipient. Sender and receiver used MSN Messanger to arrange the drop, before using Skydrive to transport the data.

Even if the blogger was not in prior collusion with the rogue, it wouldn't make any difference. That T&C clause about passing your data to "law enforcement officials... to aid the investigation of a crime" does not say the crime has to be yours.

I fail to be outraged or surprised by Microsofts actions. Clear text handed off to a third party for delivery has never been secure, not since the invention of writing, not now and never will be. And nor should it.

The puzzle is why so many serious commentators believe that should be somebody else's unpaid job to keep their secrets. Even when they are not paying the messenger to keep quiet, even when the messanger has said the data will be divulged if the occasion demands, and even - get this - when the message is used to wound the unpaid messanger.

However I am less happy about the new/future MS policy of just allowing the police direct access. That is a different story.

"I said nothing about the importance of a spreadsheet..."

Oh yeah ?

"Not everyone tits about with spreadsheets for a living"

Re: There's only really two kinds of people doing VPN...

When sourcing their routers, I think ISPs generally go for the cheapest equipment on the market. As a business model that might be a bit out of date now. My HH3 is reasonable, and importantly, seems to be secure. However, like all ISP stuff, it has a collection of small drawbacks,

- the wifi is slightly poor

- DNS is unreliable and locked to BT servers, and has problems with CNAMEs

- the HH often needs a reboot

- the NICs are 100 Mb/s (in 2014 for flips sake)

- BT keep certain ports open that you can't shut, probably for maintenance but they won't explain why.

- the UI is clunky.

- forget any advanced features

The HH is obviously < £50. I would prefer something >£100, like a Billion router with 8 Gige ports. Many BT users do a swap out. Others, like me, buy extraneous switches and APs to work around the HH.

Re: so much rubbish

@Vakeyard - couldn't agree more about management speak, and every adult who indulges in it needs a bucket of water over the head.

Lily Cole deserves slightly more understanding though. She is only 26 and does not write for a living. She is never going to sound like Walt Whitman. Ditto other youngsters who have been accused of vacuous writings eg Peaches Geldof. She was 19, brought up in a millionaire celebrity bubble and some fools lacerated her for not being Earnest Hemmingway

Re: Lawmakers and the law

G-S was excused 10 million tax under Dave Hartnett's rule. According to the Telegraph, Dave was the most wined and dined civil servant in Britain. Dave has eaten a lot of chocolate cake belonging to big accountancy companies, and last year, a big accountancy company gave Dave a job, where he will reportedly "work", er, 1 day a week.

Part II The scouring of the whistleblower, has happened while Lin Homer is in charge. Well you can't blame them. He may not be a terrorist, but Mba's honesty and courage will indeed be terrifying to some senior officials in HMRC.

Part III the committee. Not criticizing Hodge, but these committees are so ineffective we might as well not have them. The questioners don't seem to act in concert, or to get their plan together beforehand, or to question in any logical order. Rather then seeking the truth, these committees seem happy to accept whatever information is pleases the witnesses to provide.

Re: So why not

It was about 10 years ago any my reason for visiting was to see 16 spitfires fly in formation, the last time it will ever happen IIRC. Google says it was actually much later.

Yes, I was in the big modern building. Don't recall it being signed "American..." at the time. But why would you not just have one big museum showing artifacts from all Allies, and enemy stuff too for that matter. WWII being a joint experience, it strikes me as odd. I know there is a USAF cemetery nearby but that is a different story.

Measurements

The issue is that the council made an arbitrary change for no real reason, as bureaucracies are wont to do. If we define this mistake as 1 deciBasinstoke, then a single Basingstoke would be quite a big snafu, and--

Re: WTF...............

@HKmk23 eh? read the list again. No pinkos there. The Independant would have most of these people in prison.

Pope - seems like a good egg.

Aung San Suu Kyi - elected leader, virtually imprisoned, has spent much of her waiting to / trying to help her people. A whiff of Nelson Mandela there.

Bono - yeah I like his music. People ridicule the guy but I would rather have him speaking up for good causes than holed up on a private island smoking whatever.

Warren Buffet - Billionaire who lives like a millionaire. Like him for that. Clever and independent.

Clinton/Slick Willy - Genuinely charming bloke with actual leadership qualities. Another guy who could retire into quiet personal luxury but instead does what he can to help others.

Re: Erm... really?

It is a problem when charities become overly political, and when they start to pay their executives like bankers. I my view, charity is a good activity, it implies self-sacrifice, not something you do for money. Sure, they could argue that the poor can be helped via politics, but that is somebody else's job, not the charitiy's. And to pay the CEO megabucks is not compatible with acts of charity. Just my view.

Re: This again?

Lost all faith... says

They don't have to secure them, UNIX is secure by design.

So when you go to a Unix job interview, and they ask "Hi Mr Faith! How would you help to secure our Solaris servers ?", you would reply...

Re: Star Wars: Episode VII

Agree, Original Star Wars was something of a fairy tail. It also had many of the classical features of a good story, well told. The later 3 films had none of these, and were, at best, dull political thrillers, badly made and best not talked about. Just acknowledge they were terrible, forgive George and move on.