* Posts by The Dude

222 publicly visible posts • joined 10 Jun 2011

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Sexism isn't getting better in Silicon Valley, it's getting worse

The Dude

stupid feminist nonsense.

I never thought I would see the day when the Register started spewing the nonsensical feminist claptrap. This site used to have writers who actually understood issues and didn't simply puppet the politically-correct mantra.

There must be a tech news site that hasn't bent over. Goodbye El Reg, it was good while it lasted.

Yelp-for-people app Peeple is back – so we rated Julia, its cofounder

The Dude

Re: At least they're restricting it to residents of Canada

"aboot"?

I've met a fair number of Canadians, and might even be one myself. Not one ever pronounced the word "aboot". Except maybe a Newfie or two, and they aren't really Canadian, are they?

The Dude

Re: Legal Liability?

Good luck on that one. Canadian Defamation law is worse than useless unless you already have a lot of political pull. In which case, you don't need those laws.

Wikidata makes Wikipedia a database. Let the fun begin

The Dude

GIGO

'nuf said.

Sir Clive Sinclair in tech tin-rattle triumph

The Dude

Re: What's The Point?

I still have a Torch.... basically a BBC Micro + CP/M computer in a case with colour monitor.

heavy beast. Anyone know what it might be worth?

Also have boxes of un-opened ZX-81 stuff, software, bit and pieces.

and an Altair 8800 that worked the last time I powered it up, 20 years ago. ;-)

And all the C64 repair parts anyone could ever want.

What...? This isn't Craigslist? Who knew?

AdBlock Plus, websites draft peace deal so ads can bypass blockade

The Dude

U block origin: Installed

adblock plus: removed.

Don't you see these simple facts? Destroy Facebook and restore human Liberty

The Dude
Big Brother

A steaming pile of poo.

...but some people like that sort of thing.

How El Reg predicted Google's sweetheart tax deal ... in 2013

The Dude
Big Brother

Re: Corporation tax

Pragmatism is all very well and can be useful when there is no principle operative.

But if we want to do this right, then we need to start thinking seriously about abolishing taxation - period - full stop.

Why anyone believes that allowing government to extract money from anyone is ever going to accomplish anything good - is a mystery to me. Government, like any other law-abiding organization in society, should be required to earn its income honestly by delivering services that people value sufficiently to pay for. This business of the "divine right of kings" to plunder and tax is a barbaric anachronism that only serves to fuel incompetence, corruption, greed and waste.

Five technologies you shouldn't bother looking out for in 2016

The Dude

Re: Five technologies you shouldn't bother looking out for in 2016

"They think the GUI is the OS"

No they don't. They think the web browser is the OS.

Women account for just one fifth of the EU’s 8m IT jobs

The Dude
Mushroom

Seriously?

Is there some rule or impediment or anything that prevents girls from studying this subject and finding a job in the industry? I am not aware of any such impediment, and near as can be determined, girls are actually encouraged more than boys to study STEM subjects.

The general consensus is that girls don't like these subjects. Having worked in this industry for more years than I care to remember, I don't blame them.

What is truly a shame is that The Register appears to now be taking an SJW politically correct approach to this type of issue. It's a sad day in the IT world.

200 experts line up to tell governments to get stuffed over encryption

The Dude
Devil

backdoor options

Gosh.... you mean we aren't already getting sufficiently backdoored by government?

Obama: What will solve America's gun problem? What could it be? *snaps fingers* Technology!

The Dude
Mushroom

Re: Ammunition

It is unlawful to own a nuclear weapon for much the same reason it is unlawful to randomly point a weapon at your neighbors. Owning a weapon and putting people at risk with a weapon are two very different things, and are quite rightly treated differently in the law. Small bombs that don't present a risk to anyone should be okay, but regrettably even those (ie firecrackers) are now mostly banned in Canada.

icon 'cuz it fits.

GCHQ mass spying will 'cost lives in Britain,' warns ex-NSA tech chief

The Dude
Mushroom

Re: Looking for Terrorists?

Terrorism: An ideology positing that the optimum method of governing any population is to frighten and terrorize the population into submission and obedience.

Sound like anyone you know?

The Register's entirely serious New Year's resolutions for 2016

The Dude

Re: Page and Worstall "moved on" in the Autumn, right?

Paul Shirley: RE:"The tech angle"

The Tech Angle of the thermageddon scam is well-known. The entire ponzi-esque house of cards is predicated on computer models that are inadequate to the task, possibly even falsified to maintain a constant flow of government dosh. Skeptics and critics are routinely censored, silenced, 'moved on' and generally given short shrift by the likes of you. When I see people being censored and silenced in that manner then I smell a rat.

Having been a programmer working on such models in a past life, I know exactly what kind of 'science' goes into them. They are interesting and I enjoyed working on them, but they are simply not reliable, and far too dependent upon various "constants" discovered in a researcher's arse. Setting government policy and taxing people or transferring wealth between nations, on such unreliable models, is madness.

The Dude

Re: In other words

If the last few months are an indication of what is in store with the changes, it won't work. The register has gone from being a 30 minute/day read to about 60 seconds. Without Dabbs around, less than that.

Maybe we could get the real reason(s) why Worstall, Lewis and Page are gone? Inquiring minds want to know.

I know... maybe Alistair Dabbs will explain it, in his usual thoughtful, mature, educational, non-shouty and humorous manner. I don't see him lasting much longer anyhow, with the new regime.

The Dude
Mushroom

Re: Page and Worstall "moved on" in the Autumn, right?

Page had it exactly right on the "climate change" nonsense. Seeing the register bend over for this scam is a serious disappointment. Obviously, the pressure is on - I get it - but jettisoning a thoughtful skeptic with excellent writing skills is simply not the way to keep loyal readers. And where the hell is Alistair Dabs anyway?

The Dude

Re: we plan to be a big part of the prosperity

I have been a regular (daily) reader of The Reg for many years, commenting now and then. I did notice a shift in style over the past few months, and was disappointed with the loss of some excellent writers.

Not to put too fine a point on it, I do not like the changes. In fact, I have been considering removing the register from my browser. If this ridiculous "grown-up" thing continues then That's what i will do.

The Register has always been the most "grown-up" of any tech site on the web, and especially "grown-up" in its "no bullshit" approach to the industry.

One tech principle that seems to be forgotten in all of this is: If it ain't broke then don't fix it. get the good writers back, dump the politically-correct "grown-up" BS, and bring back the old register. I don't know what you expect to accomplish with these changes, but it certainly will not be the retention of loyal readers.

US State Department sicko pleads guilty to sextortion from UK embassy

The Dude

wrong department

If he had gotten a job with a different department of the US government, he could have easily gotten access to millions of such emails and thousands of such accounts, not just hundreds. And virtual blanket immunity too. I know I feel safer.

How to solve a Rubik's Cube in five seconds

The Dude

Why?

Seriously.... why????

Blocking out the Sun won't fix climate change – but it could buy us time

The Dude

Only when we travel to Mexico in the winter....

Anonymous hack group plans to out anonymous hate group

The Dude

SJWs?

Is it just me, or do other people see anonymous "attacks" only on the non-politically-correct elements of society, and rarely (never?) on some genuinely scary folks in the socialist/leftist/marxist camp?

The Dude

Re: Free Speech?

"...if you're trying to hide shit-you-do that would seriously mess with your life if uncovered then you probably just shouldn't be doing it in the first place, yes?"

That depends on what shit you do and who might mess with your life. If it's unlawful stuff against innocent people, then just don't do it. If it is dealing with dangerous criminals or corrupt government, then it might be prudent to provide all public service information/announcements anonymously.

US Senate approves CISA cyber-spy-law, axes privacy safeguards

The Dude
Black Helicopters

Re: Welcome to 1984. @Shadow Systems

"...So what are you all waiting for?"

if I'm not mistaken, the Magna Carta requires Brits to "join with the barons" and do pretty much the same thing. What are you waiting for?

Aussies' distinctive Strine down to drunk forefathers

The Dude
Coat

Re: The Aus accent really grates...

"Canadian is not too bad. Quite easy on the old lugholes."

Canadians have accent? Newfies and bluenosers yeah... but not normal Canadians, surely!

We can't all live by taking in each others' washing

The Dude

Wide readership

Just this weekend, I posted a link to Tim's Register article into a discussion among members of a Canadian political party who were arguing about "what is money?". Tim and El Reg to the rescue, essentially. I will miss the informative and thoughtful articles about the "dismal science." So long, and thanks for all the fish.

The Dude
Thumb Down

What????

No more Worstall? Why?

Bacon as deadly as cigarettes and asbestos

The Dude
Mushroom

Life leads to cancer

Isn't it about time the trick cyclists figured out that life leads to cancer, and do something about that?

WIN a 6TB Western Digital Black hard drive with El Reg

The Dude

OOPS

My bad... I was getting into position because I thought they said rectal scanner.

Top boffin Freeman Dyson on climate change, interstellar travel, fusion, and more

The Dude

Re: @mage

"...there is little snowfall because cold air holds less moisture, and the air over Antarctica is really cold? That's why I'd be curious to hear Dyson's take on how you induce more snowfall there."

Simple answer: warm it up a tad. Sounds like a problem that solves itself. Gotta love negative feedback, it brings stability out of chaos!

The Dude

Re: Emeritus

"You do realise that there is rather a large gap between "scientific consensus" and "sign this or go to a concentration camp"?"

Is there really? Isn't that the same direction we are going with the "denier" slurs and the funding difficulties for scientists who investigate alternative explanations etc.?

The Dude
Mushroom

Re: @ John Hughes Emeritus

I remember the days when the holy grail of fuel use was to have exhaust consisting only of CO2 and H2O, for reasons of efficiency and low (no) pollution... and it seems to me that for all practical intents we are there (VW diesel excepted, of course). I suspect that creates a problem for the "control the means of production" crowd, because if there is no pollution then there is nothing for the regulators and controllers to do. They solved that by declaring CO2 to be a poison gas, certain to roast us all and/or flood all waterfront property. Then they got politicians on-side, which wasn't difficult given the amount of money to be made from the various investment opportunities and the 'encouragement' from regulators. If/when the CO2 Ponzi scheme bubble bursts then that will leave only H2O as the problem. Which it is, of course, since H2O inhalation kills many more people than CO2 inhalation has ever done.

Microsoft, the VW family sedan of IT, wants to be tech's new Rolls-Royce

The Dude

Windows phones

When they make a Windows phone that runs real Windows Professional (10 or otherwise), drops into a dock on the desktop with dual monitors etc. and does everything the PC does, then they might sell serious quantities.

EU desperately pushes just-as-dodgy safe harbour alternatives

The Dude

all bad options

"What is true of safe harbour – that US security agencies ignore it –"

There's your problem then....

Rights groups: Darn you Facebook with your 'government names'

The Dude
WTF?

Re: Real name?

I am still trying to sort out what my "real" name is. The one I had shortly after birth? The one my adoptive parents gave me? The one the church gave me? The one my mother calls me? The name (or is it really the number) on government documents?

I know it's not the one my wife has for me, but that's to be expected.

Australian boffins say Quantum Pentiums are on the horizon

The Dude

Re: So a quantum breakthrough

obviously it is approaching... and receding, at the same time.

Potent OWA backdoor scores 11,000 corporate creds from single biz

The Dude

OWA used by smartphones

Isn't OWA leveraged by smartphones to provide corporate email to the phone?

Edward Snowden denies making a deal with the Russian secret service

The Dude

Asylum for Snowden

I still do not understand why Snowden isn't offered asylum in Canada. There is a election on, perhaps people could ask their candidates for parliament about that.

Safe Harbour ruled INVALID: Facebook 'n' pals' data slurp at risk

The Dude

Re: Great news!

"The EU will become the 51st state but..."

Get in line. Canada is already the 51st state.

WIN a 6TB Western Digital Black hard drive with El Reg

The Dude

Taking nature hikes to a whole new level.

The Dude

Quiet son... even the trees have ears.

BAN the ROBOT WHORES, says robot whore expert: 'These AREN'T BARBIES'

The Dude
Devil

Re: If your sex robot has achieved actual self awareness

I will thank you, sir, to leave my wife out of this!

The Dude

Is this a joke?

Seriously? I didn't think it possible, but these radical feminists continue to become even sillier.

As McAfee runs for US President – we ask a crucial question: Will Reg readers back him?

The Dude

WTF?

He stole my speech.

Cognitive computing: What can and can’t we do, and should lipreading be banned?

The Dude

That one is too easy: reduce your income to nearly zero.

Wikipedia’s biggest scandal: Industrial-scale blackmail

The Dude

Re: I gave up on Wikipedia a while ago...

Me too. I tried to put a fairly basic page and description with some documents from an important legal decision, and some Wiki-editor deleted it all. There was nothing wrong with what I put up, it was basically just neutral facts about a lawsuit... but the judge's words in the judgment were a damning indictment of the ethics and integrity (or lack thereof) of a certain gender-focused ideological faction in society.

So... sure, anybody can edit... but it won't last long if a wiki-personage does not like it. Consequently, it's no better than facebook, twitter or any other social media.

Tree hugger? Your wooden harem is much bigger than thought

The Dude
Holmes

Won't someone think of the seedlings?

I haven't hugged any trees recently, but judging by the state of my patch of forest (aka "the back yard") trees are doing rather well. As I am fond of explaining to the strange woman living at my house (aka "the wife"), this all has to do with the increased demon gas (aka CO2) in the atmosphere. More CO2=more plants, and that means trees. Quite the conundrum for tree-hugging anti-CO2 Watermelons (aka green on the outside and red on the inside).

Google bods reform DEMOCRACY in coconut or vitamin water quandry

The Dude

Re: The chocolate factory wants to make individual votes a "product"?

Not necessarily "a product" but certainly they should be "property".

The Dude

Re: No thanks

Electronic voting is only difficult if we keep the type of votes we now use. If we replace the prevailing type of votes with a more tangible type of vote, then a lot of the difficulty goes away. Most of the problems with electronic voting are not so much a problem with casting the vote, it is problems with fraud. If the votes are tangible and your voting history is auditable, then it is relatively easy to deal with. As a bonus, you end up with something very similar to this "liquid" system, where it is possible to assign votes to recognized experts and you eventually do end up with a very fluid meritocracy that retains sufficient structure to be functional and effective.

We designed a system to do all this back in '98. The initial design is intended to be used by private organizations and political parties. We are not sure that it will scale to general elections, but it shouldn't really need to.

The Dude

This looks a lot like something we developed about 15 years ago. I agree that if this is done right then it does inexorably lead to a meritocracy, which would be a huge improvement over the current cesspool of politics that we now enjoy - where the most ruthless untrustworthy schemers usually succeed.

See Article 11 at http://www.vila.ca/VILA/Bylaws.aspx

FBI probed SciFi author Ray Bradbury for plot to glum-down America

The Dude

Vote Libertarian

Then they won't know what to think.

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