Posts by John Brown (no body)

Re: Schneier posted a thorough takedown of contact tracing apps

"So why bother at all?"

You are forgetting "if it saves just one life"

"so you license it on how many cores it has, like a VM."

Why? I can understand licencing per instance, but licensing per core? All that does is make things run faster and more efficiently. Next thing we know, they'll be increasing licensing based on the speed of each core. The entire concept of charging ever greater licensing fees based on the number of cores is just wrong. Why should my software cost more run per user when I spend more on faster and better hardware? Or be artificially limited to 2 cores on my 64 core beats?

Re: combined 46 million subscribers ...?

Not only that but not all VM mobile customers have their mobile accounts on the TV/BB accounts. Virgin Mobile was a separate company back in the day.

Re: Ha ha

"As much as I'm not Vodafone's biggest fan the network is very good, especially for data and the issues we've had with broadband (caused by BT cutting through a cable) we're dealt with reasonably well."

And that pretty much describes my experience win VM. I rarely have issues and customer support have almost always been useful and helpful on the very few occasions I've had reason to call them. From what I can gather, it depends where you live and if that part of their network has been oversold.

I've been with them since the United Artists/Telewest/Blueyonder/Virgin Media days, before broadband, before even the unmetered dial-up service. IIRC there has been two major outages affecting me (New Years Eve flooding at Knowesly being a memorable one), one failed cable modem that got replaced in 48 hours and one TV box that failed and was replaced in 24 hours.

Re: It also highlighted that Australia Government doesn't have control over National Data Soverienty

The US Cloud Act means that the US Federal Government can get access to any data stored on any "US Cloud provider in any country."

Well, yes and no. It depends on whether said US company is prepared to break local laws regarding locally stored or exporting of locally stored data. It could end up with Amazon execs suddenly finding they can no longer travel to countries which used to have Amazon bitbarns for fear of arrest. But probably not.

"I fear that a lot of the lemmings rushing to download it have no idea of the implications for their privacy and security."

So, no different to every other app they download which massively breaches and/or slurps their personal data security. The vast majority don't read Ts&Cs and grant any and all permissions asked for.

Channelling Bombastic Bob, how about FLATY McFLATFACE

(All CAPS of course, because...BOB)

Re: The Redmond Ring

...and not forgetting the Red Ring Of Death.

"An attempt at humour, I suppose?"

Clearly a rare bit in your case. Are you Welsh?

Re: Remodelling

..and the occasional boxes of bullets and first aid kits in random locations.

Re: Remodelling

Ok, so I looked it up and now I know what NRHO is. It seems the lunar gateway is going to spend a lot of time a long way from the moon. I'm sure there must be a good reason for that.

Re: And who will pay ?

"Companies don't *have* to be sold."

Yes, this! If a company has something innovative, why not sell non-voting shares to raise capital? That way rich foreign companies can invest, and reap the rewards when the company grows and makes more profits. There's no need to sell the whole company and export the technology and IP so the founder can retire, take a knighthood and rest on their laurels for the rest of their lives.

Re: Well that'll be a first in the film industry

And will they rename the IIS to ISS Freeeeeedom!!!.

Oh, hang on. That was the other shortarse.

Re: AB5 hurts more than just UBER...

"The ride hailing and food delivery companies forbid working for a rival, provide uniforms and logos. That is a contracted employee."

And if they were truly independent contractors, they would set their own rates for the job to cover things like health and unemployment benefits. The rates that the likes of Uber and Lyft pay their "independent contractors" is barely enough to be able to earn a living wage equivalent to an employee. Uber and L|yft have deliberately set their rates at that level. People working in the new so-called gig economy have no idea what it costs and what they need to earn to actually cover their own costs because they think everything they earn is theirs to keep. Most have no concept of putting money aside for taxes, healthcare the lean times.

Re: It asks for your location?

...and then people are sent out to enforce the stay at home guidelines because 1000's of mobile phones claiming to have a home postcode of SW1 seem to be all over the country and not staying at home.

Re: Covid jail "prank"

Unless the app design is incredibly stupid, the phones running the app need to be within contact distance for a significant time for the contact be regarded as "at risk". A dog with a phone attached running loose in a park is unlikely to spend 10-15 minutes hanging around close to people out walking.

Re: Testing?

A lot of people seem to be assuming both that social distancing guidance will be lifted when the app is in use and that just being near a "phone" for a few minutes means automatic infection and notification (leaving a phone by the canteen till? Really? How long does it take to pay where that commentard works?)

I have no problem with criticising the app and how it works, but allowing the paranoid to invent new "terrorism" methods based on mis-information is just stupid.

Re: Almost?

"the EU-recommended centralized PEPP-PT model"

That was an interesting insight into your own, possibly subconscious, bias. The EU have "recommended" two methods as being acceptable, both centralised AND decentralised without showing any specific preference for either method.

Re: Recruitment Searches

"The other one is just standing around looking like a supervisor."

Obviously usta model or actor then. A real supervisor would be sitting down in the site cabin with a tea, coffe or, being Oz, maybe a tinny/

Re: Bit like Amazon at the moment

"get a proper one from B&Q or Wickes."

IIRC, B&Q are open again.

If you want "pure, unadulterated coffee", the Shirley you should be eating those plump juicy berries straight from the bush and not putting it through all those horrible and disgusting industrial processes that turns it into burnt granules that is tortured by running boiling water through it.

Re: Please repaint Darth Vader in different color

"that's a first world problem and you may be in need of some introspection to discover why you feel so strongly that this is somehow outrageous."

It seems your own outlook is coloured by your own local culture. Racism is rife all over the world, including the 3rd world, and s NOT a white V black thing other than in western public consciousness. You only have to look at different African groups and how they treat each, different Asian groups same thing, the attitudes of some Asians to some Africans and vice versa to see it's not black/white thing. It's primarily a fear of difference.

I don't why people can't just get on with each other. It's all very "tribal" for various and changing definitions of "tribal". Just look at how two lots of basketball fans from neighbouring cities "hate" each other. But then join together and "hate" the rest of the world when it's Team USA at the Olympics.