* Posts by Sir Runcible Spoon

5770 publicly visible posts • joined 29 May 2007

IMF 'suspended' World Bank links following hack attack

Sir Runcible Spoon

Sir

@AC - you're actually the first person to mention the connection, and very fitting it is too with the lunar eclipse and no light of the moon to be seen :)

Sir Runcible Spoon

Sir

Isn't it about time everyone implemented PGP or similar in their email systems as standard?

A digital signature can make all the difference in spotting a good spear heading your way. I'm no newbie, but if you're busy and it looks genuine it's easy to get sucker punched in the gonads.

Acer to dump 3 million laptops onto European market

Sir Runcible Spoon

Sir

At least they have warned everyone it's coming - I'm looking forward to buying a couple of 'spare' - maybe they'll even be cheap enough to run as media streamers running xblc.

Entire London 2012 Olympics' cultural events database held on Excel

Sir Runcible Spoon
Headmaster

Sir

"received e-mails from other coutries"

I believe your course details on spell-checking should be available in your inbox by now :)

Barnsley clamps down on foul-mouthed fu*king locals

Sir Runcible Spoon

Sir

Imagine skipping down the street, stark bollock naked and yelling

"I'm a fucking luuuuuuunatic" at the top your lungs.

Or would someone find that intimidating?

Total Recall rehash – exit Martians, enter Jessica Biel

Sir Runcible Spoon

Sir

I can see where you are coming from, but re-creating a movie doesn't suddenly delete the old one from all history does it?

Naked cyclist streaks through Suffolk village

Sir Runcible Spoon

Sir

I was a little surprised to see our local youth cricket team taking to the field completely stark bollock naked apart from pads/gloves etc. (no boxes though!)

There families around and no-one seemed to take any offence at all.

If you were to ask the children what they thought of the naked cyclist they would probably just find it funny. The only reason they would take offence is if an adult taught them to take offence - That's the real crime.

Netflix overtakes Bittorrent as traffic champ

Sir Runcible Spoon
Joke

Sir

"My middle name really ought to be Cassandra"

I don't believe you.

BT cheerfully admits snooping on customer LANs

Sir Runcible Spoon

Sir

My bad, I didn't look at the URL.

Personally I use Zyxel modems, but now I'm starting to seriously consider a Cisco 1841 with ADSL card. I'm getting fed up of not being able to interrogate my home network to the same degree that I can my work networks - my wife thinks I must be crap at my job when the home network has problems :)

I also have a hand-off router/firewall to service my wi-fi requirements, the only connection my external router has to the internal network is a single wire. Assuming anyone gets access to the external router somehow they still have another hurdle to overcome, and it's steeper.

Sir Runcible Spoon

Sir

Of course you can use your own router. Until the Phorm disaster that's exactly what I did - used a Zyxel.

Just make sure you make a note of your username/password and channel details and you can set the link up with any ADSL router/modem.

Sir Runcible Spoon

Sir

ports 161 & 162 (udp usually) are used for SNMP traps/polling.

SNMP can be used for anything from reporting certain MIBS (identifiers/parameters if you like) right up to full control of the device (including taking copies of the config and even reconfiguring it).

It should not be open to the internet. It can be password protected, but as this is a BT hub we're talking about it's likely to be a generic one. This is a very big hole and not something I was previously aware of. Thanks for pointing it out.

Get rid. Soonest.

Sir Runcible Spoon

Sir

"by sampling the packets on the net, and looking at the first six octets of the MAC address"

The MAC address doesn't leave the local link, so it* won't be visible in packets leaving the router towards the ISP**

*They _will_ see the MAC address of the routers external interface of course, but not anything on the inside of the router.

**unless you are running IPv6 and the MAC addresses is incorporated into the IPv6 address - and this still isn't the MAC address, it's an IPv6 address.

MAC addresses are only visible within the broadcast domain it sits in (unless someone is has set up a transparent bridge or snooping interface)

Sir Runcible Spoon
Joke

Sir

"BT's behavior differs from Apples, exactly how?"

Oranges.

Sir Runcible Spoon

Sir

Assuming at least some of these customers have changed their admin password - this kind of implies that they have a back-door in to the BT homehubs, yes? If that's the case then anyone using a BT homehub on another providers network is also vulnerable.

I'd like to know for sure exactly how they obtained access to the local device in order to scan the LAN. I don't see how they would be able to do this if the customer had an adsl router/modem from another provider, but lack of detailed information doesn't mean they can't - those boys at Martlesham shouldn't be underestimated.

Judgment Day prophet resets doomsday clock

Sir Runcible Spoon

Sir

Will it be like that bit in Harry Poo-ter when they flush the loo and 'pass on through' ?

Videogames give kids the munchies

Sir Runcible Spoon

Sir

Or to spin it another way..

"when playing videogames ... energy expenditure was also higher"

Playing Video games burns more energy than being sat on your arse in front of the TV.

Israeli couple dub sprog 'Like'

Sir Runcible Spoon
Joke

Sir

Is that like, Like - pronounced Lik-ee ?

Some other unused names for them to consider for next time perhaps..

Fidiot

Myparentsarecunts.com

omg

Netgear XAV5001 500Mb/s powerline Ethernet adaptor

Sir Runcible Spoon

Sir

Apparently there are speed limits with regards to the protocol used as well.

For example, on my 1000Mbps LAN I get transfer rates of around 350Mbps using ftp, but only about 180Mbps using SMB.

Can anyone explain why ? I can't believe protocol overheads are to blame because I'm measuring the data speed on the router (so no chance of ignoring header overhead if measuring on the same system as generates the traffic).

Sun attempts to ID entire FA Cup Final crowd

Sir Runcible Spoon
Joke

Sir

Dear Graham, you do realise though that following that course of action would, in effect, lower your IQ?

Sir Runcible Spoon
Alien

Sir

Hmm, prime examples of British manhood I'm sure.

Is it me or do they all look like mutants? Perhaps I'm the alien.

Facebook planking game claims its first victim

Sir Runcible Spoon

Sir

Sod planking, 'eyeballing' is where it's at. You take one Darwinian challenged individual, a knife and ping pong ball. Stick the ball to the back of the head and try to remove it with the knife having first passed the knife through one of the eyes (left or right - doesn't matter).

Great stuff, very amusing, and also serves a purpose - what more could you want?

FBI fights to protect ISPs that snoop on their customers

Sir Runcible Spoon

Sir

The providers who don't do this for the FBI could turn this to their advantage by advertising the fact that they gaurantee they don't work with the FBI without a warrant. ISP's who are will not advertise such as they would be in a very vulnerable position if they did.

Anyone who is worried about FBI snooping need then only choose an ISP who states they won't bend the rules.

Boy George promises to cut employment rights

Sir Runcible Spoon

Sir

"Now, if you were to argue that "New" labour isn't much better, then you'd have a point."

I was always under the impression that the last labour government (pre-Thatcher) also spunked all our money down the drain - or am I mistaken?

Sir Runcible Spoon

Sir

"The UK approach seems to be that you need to be able to terrify them into submission with the threat of losing their job."

This is why I turned to contracting. I have no illusions about job security, and if the environment is crap there's always another contract a phone call away. It's risky, but if you know the risks you can account for them and manage them up to a point.

Most permies are blissfully unaware that they are in the same boat as 'tractors, and they don't get paid as well. That is until the hammer falls and they haven't got several months income sitting there for a rainy day.

it is a hard learned lesson and the way things are in the UK I'll never go back to working permie, unless it's decent money and working from home permanently - then I'll emmigrate to somewhere with a decent net connection and better weather and cheaper living costs.

I've met quite a few permies who would make good contractors if only they had the confidence to risk it. One even told me that it was just too risky having to look for work so often. 6 weeks later she was made redundant.

Sir Runcible Spoon

Sir

"So... what beats me is why the British workers *vote* for the bastards?"

Because this country can only afford to vote Labour once every 50 years.

Sir Runcible Spoon

Sir

"If you can find a job in the private sector that pays more for equivalent work and has a solid guaranteed pension scheme then go for it!"

Whilst I'm not a teacher, most of the one's I've met consider what they do a vocation rather than a job, higher wages and a glossy pension aren't the only motivators in the world. just my TUPEnce (sorry).

Don’t leak WikiLeaks: The NDA from hell

Sir Runcible Spoon

Sir

This sounds more damaging than the government sponsored smear campaign if you ask me, which you didn't.

Northants cops blow up suspicious school play prop

Sir Runcible Spoon

Sir

I heard that they'd used a sparkler instead of string - proper FX :)

Operation Flashpoint 2: Red River

Sir Runcible Spoon

Sir

"by Al Mathews (Apone from Aliens)"

"Assholes and elbows people, we 'aint payin' you by the hour! " great line

Google infringes copyright by displaying and linking to news site content

Sir Runcible Spoon

Sir

The newspapers may find they have won the battle but lost the war.

What happens when google stops linking to the newspaper sites - completely. To most people, they would simply vanish from the internet.

Feds raid home of teen fingered in DDoS on Gene Simmons

Sir Runcible Spoon

Sir

@Tryegve

So this young chap was running a DDoS from a single computer was he? wow, that's impressive. Must be L33t skillz or something.

And regarding the anti-DDoS - have you heard of flood defence?

Sir Runcible Spoon

Sir

“they might find their little butts in jail, right next to someone who's been there for years and is looking for a new girl friend.”

So, Mr 'I'm Richer than God and better looking' Simmons, you think that pinging your website more times than is strictly necessary should be punished by anal rape?

You seem to be lacking in perspective.

I mean, LOIC is for newb's, he probably thought it was just a giggle, and I very much doubt that 49k pings in 47 minutes is enough to down your site. Haven't you heard of anti-DDoS firewalls? What do you mean it was all in the hands of your hosting provider? SO WHY AREN'T YOU SUEING THEM YOU RETARD!!!"121!"!!!

~Is it just me, or is this whole - let's sue the pants off anyone with a computer - crap just getting a bit meh?

Ten... fantasy gadgets you wish you owned

Sir Runcible Spoon

Sir

"snatch-mouthed alien"

how dangerous are the women you meet then? All those teeth, and it opens up in four directions, you could probably get a BFG in there.

Duke Nukem taken to the shrink

Sir Runcible Spoon
Heart

Sir

Did that say June 14th? This year?? I think I just peed.

Bin Laden corpse pics will be malware, says FBI

Sir Runcible Spoon

Sir

Double tap to the body following by a tap to the head.

Um, isn't this exactly like an execution by a professional killler....doh!

Assange: Facebook a ‘spying machine’

Sir Runcible Spoon

Sir @ Ammaross

You make a good point. I'm under no illusions that I am 'under the radar' so to speak, but at least I try to reduce my profile - a bit like the stealth fighers. They can still be seen on radar, just not as well and you need a good radar. At least that's the principle.

Sir Runcible Spoon

Sir

@AC

Ahem, whilst I endeavour to ensure that my good Lady does not, in fact, inform the world of her Yoga skills in pictoral form, I cannot ignore the revenue that my wife provides the estate - without which we would soon be living with the oiks.

As I said before, as long as I'm not in them :P

Sir Runcible Spoon

Sir

I will never use facebook, but my wife does - so I banned her from mentioning me or including any photo's that I might be in :)

Hacker pwns police cruiser and lives to tell tale

Sir Runcible Spoon

Sir

Kevin Finisterre is a star, I want to see a movie about him!

Cops raid man whose Wi-Fi was used to download child porn

Sir Runcible Spoon

Sir

Hmm, and here I always thought the unobstrusive antenna of choice was a pringles can (empty). Still that would probably look odd stuck to the top of your boat/car/head :)

Sir Runcible Spoon

Sir

@Muscleguy - google Kismet, you may be surprised at some of the freely available tools out there.

There's also a 5 Gb password file out there somewhere that you can use once you have a copy of the encrypted WPA key (WEP can be broken in minutes) - so always use a non-word (non-substitution) WPA key, as the password files regularly take into account regular substitutions.

Sir Runcible Spoon
Joke

Sir

"Tin foil hat for sale"

Does it protect against wi-fi?

WikiLeaks releases classified files on Guantánamo Bay

Sir Runcible Spoon

Sir

"Maybe the noise from your hobbyhorse clunking round the room is too distracting?"

Hehe, I reckon my hobby horse is faster than yours, but yours does seem to whinny a lot more I have to admit.

I haven't said anything about releasing 150 odd potential killers, I also haven't condemned those who have to make difficult choices. I am simply stating that treating humans like animals doesn't do anyone any good.

Let me state my position then so you can't go round putting words in my mouth..

Locking up combatants captured in the field=I'm fine with this

Interrogating prisoners=again, nothing majorly wrong with this as it can save the lives of people on 'our' side.

Torturing prisoners=not so much approving of this one. I'm certain the US Gov. have access to plenty of reliable drugs out there to get the information without having to resort to waterboarding and treating their prisoners like dogs - it's barbaric.

I was also trying to state that if there are innocent people held in Gitmo, then this is a very sad state of play. And before you harp on about picking people up in combat zones etc. there are civilians there too you know. How do we know who is AQ/Taliban unless they are tried? It is an abuse of power, and your defence of it is what is driving my comments on your attitude.

Sir Runcible Spoon

Sir

Wow, where to start?

You seem to be guessing a lot about me and getting it wrong, but I suppose it did provide you with yet another small platform from which to make even more incorrect inferences.

For the record, I have no illusions about the world being a fair place. I'm sure there are people in Gitmo that deserve to be there, but when you debase others, you debase yourself. If you claim to speak from 'reality' and you do seem to be a perfect representative of the very human nature you are describing at length in your post, then you make me ashamed of being human.

I'm glad this all provides some humour for you, if you need to reduce my opinion to 'bleating' then you'll have no objection to my referring to your blatherings as those of someone who has been damaged and seeks to impose their fucked up view of the world on others, because that's exactly what you sound like.

I have no real illusions about the world we live in and the depths to which people will stoop. I also realise there are gray areas regarding morality when the choice is between the lesser of two evils (or something more complex which it usually is). No, I think we can agree that the world is a less than perfect place.

I tell you what, let's get all the people who you might consider 'bleating do-gooders' and foster in them a sense of reality as you describe and live in a dog-eat-dog world with no recourse to law and order. That would make the world a better place I'm sure.

In my previous posting, I didn't say that the world was fair, I just said your attitude stinks - a statement which I stand by.

Boffins devise way to hide secret data on hard drives

Sir Runcible Spoon

Sir

it does, OMG I@M GOIUNG TAUTOLOGICALLY MAD I TELL YOYU!!1!"!

Vote now for the best sci-fi film never made

Sir Runcible Spoon

Sir

Agreed about the Gap books, but do you really think Hollywood could render the darker stuff from those books and do them justice? Downright dark some bits were, a really good example of story driven sci-fi (i.e. more about the people than the toys).

In the end I had to vote for the Rat, coz he is a childhood favourite and fairly trivial for Hollywood to translate. D-U-P.

Sir Runcible Spoon

Sir

"If you can't resist voting more than once, come back in an hour for another go."

Woot! Can we have a countdown to voting too so we can optimise our time for the next ....how long is the poll open for again?

Sir Runcible Spoon

Sir

rather missed the point there Nash I'm afraid

Sir Runcible Spoon

Sir

We want AV!!

How the fuck am I supposed to choose just one! Impossible.

Toshiba readies über-thin 7in touchscreen

Sir Runcible Spoon

Sir

Am I the only one that doesn't really like all this touchscreeniness goings on? Whatever happened to voice control? And mind control for that matter, I'd like some more progress in that area please.