* Posts by peyton?

427 publicly visible posts • joined 1 Sep 2009

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Compuware promises mainframe DevOps as old programmers croak

peyton?

Did you leave out C on purpose?

Very widely used, frequently not object-oriented...

Or does it fail to meet some narrow definition of "real code"?

Sony's 4King with us now: Xperia Z5 mobe has UltraHD screen, cam

peyton?

Should also add

"The biggest sources of distortion in the audio chain are the transducers: the microphones used to record the music, and the loudspeakers, ear buds, or headphones used to play it back."

Don't forget the DAC used... even for your basic mp3, it can have a noticeable impact.

KFC takes legal axe to eight-legged mutant chicken claims

peyton?

You can apply for Nobel prizes?

Notice how the spokesman doesn't actually deny that they are working on an 8-legged chicken. They just haven't produced one *yet*.

VPN users reckon Netflix is blocking them

peyton?
Devil

Shocking

"users in nations not served by the media streamer would find themselves stuck with the company's limited local catalogue"

Wait... are you saying their online selection can get even worse??

Swiss wildlife park serves up furry residents to visitors

peyton?

Re: "restrictions should be slapped on the numbers of births in the park."

Actually, they can give many animals birth control medications (in the case of primates the same medications as a matter of fact).

So frequently, there are alternatives.

FCC seeks $48K fine from mobile phone-jamming driver

peyton?

Re: Yo, Jason!

"Until your wife goes into labour in the car"

So you've got the distraction of the wife in labour in the car and you want to add to that by also talking on the phone??

Rather than increasing your risk of accident, I'm pretty sure you need to hand the phone over to your wife and drive her to the hospital.

Boffins build billion-synapse, three-watt 'brain'

peyton?

Re: “you have to know how the brain works to program one of these”.

Not really a valid point: you don't have to know how a toaster works to use it.

I think what Tromos is getting at is that the creator of this "computer" implies he *knows* how the human brain works*, which is a pretty big claim.

*Alternately, he's admitting that he can't program his own device.

Frenchman eyes ocean domination with floating, mobile Bond villain lair

peyton?
Headmaster

Re: Maginot

woah.

There's even video of a "flip" in action.

Mind officially blown.

Hackers slurp credit card details from US luxury retailer Neiman Marcus

peyton?

I felt the same at first

But if you read through the benefits, a lot of the freebies thrown in could probably end up canceling that out. (especially as it's $2500 after the first year).

Still, you know a lot of the desire for this card is simply its exclusivity and bragging rights. That's reason enough to avoid, imo.

Who here needs to explain things to ELEPHANTS?

peyton?

Re: @ John H Woods - Trained Dogs

I can't be arsed to train my dog to do anything, but he's figure out pointing on his own. It may be a learned behavior from being around me, but likewise, I'm guessing these elephants aren't straight from the wilderness, and have been around humans for some length of time.

Also, when he wants to go out, he looks at me, then quickly points towards the door in what I can only described as a "get your ass over here and let me out" motion. Definitely not something I trained him to do.

US gov preps sale of TOP SECRET disease research island

peyton?
Devil

Re: Asbestos and NIMBY's

"and you'd have to order in stocks of 240V toasters and the like."

Sounds less than ideal to me.

Myst: 20 years of point-and-click adventuring

peyton?
Happy

"Resorting to the internet"

Indeed. Myst is actually how I discovered I am a bit red-green colorblind, as there is a puzzle that requires pushing a red button (on a green background!) that I literally could not see.

peyton?

Re: Arrrrrrgh!

I thought the soundtrack was as important part of the experience as the graphics. The Myst world is sort of abandoned. There were times where details like the lone sound of the wind blowing through the trees really cemented that impression of isolation, imo.

Workers at world's largest – and most remote – telescope go on strike

peyton?
Happy

World's largest telescope?

Surely Arecibo is bigger? ;)

NSA headman: 'Don't worry, our watchful analysts TAKE EXAMS'

peyton?

Re: Huh?

Whether its 53 or 300, to me the irony is, the more they downplay its use, the more they affirm that it's not worth the price.

Tweet like escaping Hell depends on it, Twitter Catholics told

peyton?
Headmaster

Not that it matters much

But indulgences don't let you avoid hell, or purgatory for that matter. They can lessen your time in purgatory, but that's it.

Assuming you believe any of it, of course.

Can't blame the writer for getting it wrong though. This kind of arcane information can only be found buried deep in the... well, the first paragraph of the wiki page on indulgences actually :\

Daddy-o, you're all wet... baffled by your own kids on the web - survey

peyton?
Trollface

missed it as well

A bit of googling indicates that it is a violation to have two personal accounts. Where things get fuzzy is that you can create a separate "page" as the persona of, say, your business. But it seems this still must be managed from a personal account.

Ah well, I guess part of yoof culture is to just skim wikipedia for info rather than reliably check your facts. Seems like the quiz scored well here :p

Innovative solution to modern art found: Shoot it into space

peyton?
Flame

I certainly feel inspired

“I hope this helps inspire people everywhere to think about the really big questions: the origin of life, the natural history of our Solar System and home planet, and our relationship with time, both geological and cosmic,”

After reading the description of the art in question, I feel inspired to shout "bollocks!"

Fear the Embarrassing Bodies webcam

peyton?

Re: It's like rubber necking...

I think John is alluding to the idea that "there is no law against it".

Ruby on Fails: Zombie SERVER army built thanks to Rails bug

peyton?
Paris Hilton

Re: Ruby/Rails vs. Java

"Java doesn't need an extra application framework. "

What are JSPs then? And why do so many recruiters seem to want me to have this skill?

Bill Gates: Corporate tax is not a moral issue

peyton?

Re: I don't buy it

"any social requirement for ethical behavior on their part has to be implemented via external regulation"

He doesn't say this. He says they have to comply with local laws. My example of Foxconn, et al, demonstrates a scenario where American companies put pressure on their suppliers to improve the status quo *not* in response to any local law, but to public outcry. There is no law that says a company has to be ruthless to create shareholder value. (btw, lots of companies have ethics policies in place that go above and beyond the bare that is required by law.)

My point is that Gates and the rest seem to feel they get a free pass to exploit the government because, well, it's the government and nobody likes them. They would never make the same claims about exploiting human victims (i.e., if you don't like it, change the law). But money going to the government does potentially help people. Just because they've been abstracted and made faceless doesn't give corporations a free pass in my book.

ps. no need to be a dick in your replies

peyton?
Flame

I don't buy it

“It is not incumbent on those companies to take shareholder money and pay huge amounts that are not required.”

So the solution to situations like Foxconn (with their human rights abuse record) is not to improve the situation of those people - since that probably is going to cost money - but to find a better location with with more relaxed laws, where the people can be more easily exploited for less.

Is this really what the founder of the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation is suggesting?

World's richest hobo (Apple) has worked 'tax-free' in Ireland since '80s

peyton?
Mushroom

Re: Why do people get upset at Apple for this?

"NOBODY pays more tax than they have to."

Not true. Mitt Romney did exactly this for the US presidential election :D

In all seriousness though, anyone who does not declare every last deduction (or take advantage of every last tax haven) is technically paying "more than they have to" - and this does happen, all the time. Kinda tired of hearing that argument thrown about when it's backed by nothing.

Paul Allen buys lovingly restored vintage V-2 Nazi ballistic missile

peyton?

Re: Bootnote

That. is. awesome. So simple, yet so brilliant!

EU boffins in plan for 'more nutritious' horsemeat ice cream

peyton?
Devil

Re: Using as much of the slaughtered animal as possible,

"Not really, the term 'cows' can be used to refer to male or female cattle."

psh. city folk.

peyton?

Re: Using as much of the slaughtered animal as possible,

Many of these parts are available as puppy treats. My dog loves "bully sticks" (bull penis), tendons, bladder, cartilage, trachea, ears, tripe, hearts, lung. They're all desiccated and only marginally smelly (but hey, if they didn't stink a little, he probably wouldn't touch them). I'm pretty sure they're a more wholesome option for him than dog biscuits.

They WANT to EAT YOUR COMPUTER - welcome your ANT overlords

peyton?
Headmaster

Re: It's no joke

Actually, ants (and surprisingly roaches as well) are very hygienic, and will frequently clean themselves and each other. In the process, they will usually ingest some of whatever is on them.

FLABBER-JASTED: It's 'jif', NOT '.gif', says man who should know

peyton?

Re: nah mate

In America, Jif refers to peanut butter. End of story.

Linux is a combination of Linus and MINIX, so it depends on which "i" you want to pronounce ;)

Startup hires 'cyborg' Mann for Google Glass–killer project

peyton?
Gimp

Re: where do I sign ..

Oh, you will sign.

Resistance is futile.

Slim Shady wannabe Zuck's Facebook 'STOLE' MY SONG - Eminem

peyton?
Devil

Zuck is an Eminem fan?

In spite of much just cause (and many snarky, albeit fantastic Reg articles), I can honestly say I had managed to not lose all respect for this person.

Till now.

Irish deputy PM: You want more tax from Apple? Your problem, not ours

peyton?
Paris Hilton

What precisely was this guy responding to?

I didn't see anyone directly blaming Ireland in any of the quotes.

In spite of what the lead sentence says, the Irish guy quoted doesn't deny that their tax rate helps Apple, et al. He just says it's not his problem (which is quite correct).

Nintendo throws flaming legal barrel at YouTubing fans

peyton?
Paris Hilton

Why doesn't Nintendo

Just make their own walkthrough vids then? There appears to be demand, why not supply it?

Give porno danger classes to Brit kids as young as FIVE - parents

peyton?

Could actually be interesting

Some sort of corollary follow-up: "Please elaborate on why you shouldn't be doing this yourself"

Review: Samsung Galaxy S4

peyton?
Unhappy

I wonder how improved the gorilla glass is

"I attacked it with my car keys with gusto but inflicted no visible damage."

Next time try dropping it from, oh, about four feet off the ground. That's what cracked mine up.

To be fair though, the phone still works great - just doesn't look so pretty any more.

YouTube Trends Map pokes tacky underbelly of American psyche

peyton?
Facepalm

Re: WTF?

Dude, he said "peek". Not "Trend Map definitively and absolutely reflects all things American."

Similar to how your post only offers a "peek" into your psyche. Happily, it's not definitive.

US Ambassador plays Game of Thrones with pirates

peyton?

Re: For $2.49

I feel similarly. For music I pay $0.99 for a song that I listen to over and over again. $2.99 for a television episode I'm only going to watch once just feels like a lot. $30 for 1 season of 1 tv show could actually buy me a month of cable TV for probably about 50 channels (though to be fair, it wouldn't include HBO).

Still, it just doesn't add up.

Impoverished net user slams 'disgusting' quid-a-day hack

peyton?
Devil

Re: Aloe Vera for that?

Also, Ms. Bee quite frequently let comments of this sort through, just so that the poster could be flamed into oblivion by we commentards.

Ahh, the good ol' days.

Reg hack to starve on £1 a day for science

peyton?

Re: Worthwhile charity

In the states at least, we have charitynavigator.org. It can't tell you everything about a charity, but it's a worthwhile start.

Reddit: So very sorry for naming innocent man as Boston bomber

peyton?
Devil

Re: Call me sceptical if you will, but...

'In America, saying "sorry" is all that is required' ??

Spend some time over here; I'm pretty sure you'll find that in America, settling out of court is all that is required.

US Air Force beats off competition in NSA hacking fight

peyton?

Re: @NoOnions (was: White gloves?)

"poor young bastards" indeed. Googling confirms that, if you're in the band anyway, you get to take off your gloves (as they would interfere with your performance, I'm guessing). Apparently typing on a keyboard is not considered harder than pressing a few valves on a trumpet.

Never mind that a uniform should allow one to have a clean look. Gloves and short sleeves just looks silly.

It's official! Register hack is an alcohol-flushed cave dweller

peyton?

Re: tempted

Ahh - but will you actually discover you have an increased risk of something? Even if your results say so, many of the studies relied on report correlation, not causation. How can you be certain it's not just statistical noise that flagged gene X for disease Y? (google "GWAS usefuleness" for more on this). Or maybe you carry a gene that cancels out the risk caused by X, but the study that identifies that has yet to be conducted.

So criticisms are not just about keeping the paranoid person with the alleged Alzheimer's risk from offing themself at 60. We still know so little about ourselves, your report could very well include misleading information.

Google Apps goes TITSUP for millions - users REJOICE on Twitter

peyton?
Headmaster

Re: this is why I use a *proper* email program...

"but at least can refer to already received mail on a local client."

This is exactly how I use my work gmail. They do provide imap access.

Microsoft Xbox exec quits after ENRAGING the INTERWEBS

peyton?
Paris Hilton

Re: Christ on a bike...

Probably less about his opinion and more about his denigrating people/areas without broadband.

Dinosaur embryos FOUND: Resurrection 'out of the question'* - boffin

peyton?
Headmaster

DNA half-life?

Really doesn't have any meaning in the traditional sense (i.e., radioactive decay). The stability of a molecule is going to vary greatly depending on environmental conditions. In sub-zero conditions, some studies have indicated DNA's "half-life" could be well over 100,000 years.

Hard luck lads, todger size DOES matter: Official

peyton?

Re: Variables

I noticed that as well. But it also says there were 53 models total, so hopefully they mixed it up a bit beyond the sample pic.

Google forks WebKit, promises faster, leaner Chrome engine

peyton?

Re: Not necessarily

The article says "initial codebase", not 'initial release'.

Pyongyang Photoshop tomfoolery shows wet Norks, skirts blown up

peyton?
Headmaster

What about flags?

Not as likely to be identical, what with the wind and ocean spray and all. Could be one of those Neil Armstrong flags I guess.

To be honest though, if you zoom in on the one craft, I think photoshop cloning is the preferable answer to the alternative: that the front of the hovercraft really *is* dissolving into the ocean.

Apple: Our data centers are green. The other 98% of what we do ...

peyton?

Why'd they build in North Carolina

I thought the point of data centers in North Carolina was the cheap, coal-fueled leccy?

Schmidt still scanning the skies 50 years after defining the quasar

peyton?
Paris Hilton

Oort cloud confirmed?

I was surprised to read this in the article, but googling, could not find any articles saying how this was confirmed? Anyone have any pointers? Or this still in the category of hypothetical (albeit highly likely).

Microsoft issues manual on Brits to Cambridge exports

peyton?
Paris Hilton

Re: Ta

Not sure where you got this from. True, if a woman (in the US) uses "girlfriend" - it can mean close, female friend. But if a guy uses it, it means the same as the British sense.

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