* Posts by RogerT

72 publicly visible posts • joined 10 Sep 2011

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UK voter data within reach of miscreants who hacked Electoral Commission

RogerT

"The registers did not include the details of anyone who registered anonymously."

If the registers did not contain details of those registered anonymously the Electoral Commission must have known their systems were not particularly secure.

Why did it take them so long to announce they'd been hacked?

Florida man insists he didn't violate the law by keeping Top Secret docs

RogerT
Coat

In the interest of equality surely the article should refer to a "person".

In the interest of equality surely the article should refer to a "person".

Workers don't want these humanoid robots telling them to be happy

RogerT

Apologies from a railway computer

There's nothing more infuriating than a computer on a train or at a railway station apologising to you because your train is late.

Court papers indicate text messages from HMRC's 60886 number could snoop on Brit taxpayers' locations

RogerT

That's it.

Tomorrow I'm ringing up HMSO to tell them I'm getting rid of my mobile. It's no use telling their call handler the real reason as they wont believe me.

BOFH: What a beautiful classic car. Shame if anything were to happen to it

RogerT

Sheer Class

The bit about the CCTV not showing his ID being burnt is brilliant. Sheer class.

The best BOFH ever.

Government-favoured child safety app warned it could violate the UK's Investigatory Powers Act with message-scanning tech

RogerT

Children do have some rights to privacy which their parents cannot take away.

A Gillick competent child has the right to arrange medical appointments without their parent's knowledge.

EasyJet flight loadsheet snafu caused by software 'code errors' says UK safety agency

RogerT

Surely this is safety critical

Surely this process is safety critical and should be certified in the same manner as an aircraft?

Engineers' Laurel and Hardy moment caused British Airways 787 to take an accidental knee

RogerT

Re: The engineer's careers

Excellent idea. Most children have already been on the training course:-

https://mathematics-at-school.com/images/stories/virtuemart/product/testimg_5de7deaec44c9.jpg

Mayflower, the AI ship sent to sail from the UK to the US with no humans, made it three days before breaking down

RogerT

Idiots

Imagine being forced to wear a smile when you've just heard of the death of a close friend or relative or they're seriously ill. Idiots.

Apologies for the wait, we're overwhelmed. Yes, this is the hospital. You need to what?! Do a software licence audit?

RogerT

EE have been updating my ADSL router as well

EE have updated my ADSL router at least three times during the crises which I consider to be complete stupidity in the circumstances.

Not all of their customers will be capable or sorting out the mess for themselves when something goes wrong and they may be shielding or covid so no one will be able to enter their house to assist.

Ofcom waves DAB radio licences under local broadcasters' noses as FM switchoff debate smoulders again

RogerT

90% of land or 90% of population?

I would imagine that this 90% refers to the population which means digital is unusable in a car. Is there a mobile phone with DAB yet?

Huge if true... Trump explodes as he learns open source could erode China tech ban

RogerT
Angel

Re: A Catastrophic Deficit Delivers an AWEsome Vulnerability for 0day Exploits and Exports

and I don't think computer viruses can cross over into humans

If 5g is causing the epidemic then it stands to reason that computer viruses can cross over into humans.

Aw, bad day at your air-conditioned, somewhat clean desk? Try shifting a 40-tonne fatberg

RogerT

British Standard double decker buses and things

If journalists insist on describing objects in terms of double decker buses or other large objects or structures surely we need a British Standard size and weight so we know exactly what they're talking about.

Google claims web search will be 10% better for English speakers – with the help of AI

RogerT

Re: 10%?

My very thought. Google have made it very difficult to find the obscure.

Consumer campaign to keep receiving printed till receipts looks like a good move – on paper

RogerT

When I last needed a paper receipt

The last time I needed a paper receipt was when a store detective stopped me AFTER leaving the supermarket. I didn't have any contraband and the problem was (eventually) sorted out. Eventually because he snatched my bag from me containing receipt, wallet, and the goods he alleged I stole so I had to involve the police. I now always pay with a card and keep my receipt in my wallet which will be in a pocket. I've not seen that store detective there ever since.

The moral is always have a paper receipt when you leave the store.

Off somewhere nice on holibobs? Not if you're flying British Airways: IT 'systems issue' smacks UK airports once again

RogerT

Re: BA

At least Heathrow plane port has a Wetherspoons to wait in. Plane ports without are even worse.

RogerT

Off somewhere nice on holibobs? Not if you're flying British Airways:

Have you noticed how we've been downgraded from passengers to customers? And passengers on the Scottish sleepers have been relegated to mere guests.

There've all forgotten that we've passengers and all we want is to get from A to B at roughly the agreed times, awake, asleep, or otherwise.

All this PR speak makes me sick.

Metropolitan Police's facial recognition tech not only crap, but also of dubious legality – report

RogerT

Re: Help with "Innovative Solutions"

I've always said I'm happy for the Chinese to spy on me... providing they don't sell the information so that it reaches a UK Government.

Devs slam Microsoft for injecting tech-support scam ads into their Windows Store apps

RogerT

Re: "Avoid Redmond..."

ATMs and railway ticket machines are windoze so it's impossible to have nothing to do with them.

Polygraph knows all: You've been using our user feedback form

RogerT

I think this article is in very poor taste and shouldn't have been published.

A day in the life of London seen through spam and weak Wi-Fi

RogerT

If they're train stations then we plane stations and ship stations as well.

Sky customers moan: Our broadband hubs are bricking it

RogerT

Re: It's been years since . . . .

I use my ISP's modem but I configure my PCs to use my DNS of choice. I can configure my modem to use my DNS of choice but find it more convenient to configure my PCs to use my DNS of choice. Everything else looks after themselves and uses the network default.

Remember that lost memory stick from Heathrow Airport? The terrorist's wet dream? So does the ICO

RogerT

Re: Makes sense

I was unaware that it was coffee they served there

A basement of broken kit, zero budget – now get the team running

RogerT

On one occasion we ran out of toilet rolls so issued some travel expenses to Mr B. O. G. Roll.

Hackers manage – just – to turn Amazon Echoes into snooping devices

RogerT

Exactly my thought.

Google Spectre whizz kicked out of Caesars, blocked from DEF CON over hack 'attack' tweet

RogerT

Re: Where To??

They cannot move the conference to the UK because the visa issuing department will reject most of the applications.

Heatwave shmeatwave: Brit IT departments cool their racks – explicit pics

RogerT

Re: Temperature ratings

But the suits grumble about the extra 0.5% cost.

Time to ditch the front door key? Nest's new wireless smart lock is surprisingly convenient

RogerT

House insurance

I've just been looking at the T&Cs in my home insurance and I'm pretty sure this lock would not comply with the specification of locks that I'm required to use.

BT pushes ahead with plans to switch off telephone network

RogerT

Re: Oh well

You've fallen into the common trap of assuming that everyone has usable mobile coverage. That is *NOT* the case.

Sysadmin’s worst client was … his mother! Until his sister called for help

RogerT

Reverse problem

My friends children often messed up their computers and I frequently got called over to sort them out. They were clever children and not afraid to add extensions or change various settings or try anything else. Their redeeming feature was that they usually had a good idea what they'd done to mess it up and knew their limits so would call me sooner rather than later in case they made it worse.

Their parents were always annoyed with them but I took the view that they were learning and learnt from me as we always worked together to resolve the problems.

They've now left home and their parents have a computer to keep in touch with them. They don't get such an easy as they gave me!

Windows 10 to force you to use Edge, even if it isn't default browser

RogerT

Don't forget the nag until submission pop-ups you'll get

"Edge is not you default browser. Do you wish to make Edge your default browser?"

Google: Class search results as journalism so we can dodge Right To Be Forgotten

RogerT

Spent Convictions

In my opinion Google should not be allowed to serve up any UK spent convictions under any circumstances as employers and other bodies only have the right to this information in well defined circumstances.

Unfortunately the law has not kept up with modern life. In is now too quick and too easy to find details of spent convictions. In my opinion online publishers of such information and internet caches should be required to delete such articles at the appropriate time. The information is still retained by the police and other departments where it is genuinely needed. No one else needs access to this information except for curiosity.

EE unveils shoebox-sized router to boost Brit bumpkin broadband

RogerT

Re: Optimistic thinking

I saw an Ofcom slide at a presentation last week which could be described as a Venn diagram on a map for a Welsh village. There wasn't many properties in just one area.

I also learnt that whilst my land line cannot have fibre broadband it is included in the statistics for an area that can.

Web searching died the day they invented SEO

RogerT

Googling is not as easy as it used to be

Google removal of its keyword search and insistence on putting the most popular websites first makes it very difficult to find something out of the ordinary.

I would imagine finding anything on Google about a spacecraft long thought to be inoperative next to impossible.

Please reinstate your keyword search Google.

And before anyone says. The mandatory search "" does not always work.

It's official: Users navigate flat UI designs 22 per cent slower

RogerT

Re: Personally

And the Sky EPGs are the worst. I suspect they take at least 20 times longer than they need to to find anything. And why on earth will they not provide an alphabetical list so you can find a particular channel quickly.

Hundreds stranded at Manchester Airport due to IT 'glitch'

RogerT

Re: Surprising...

I suspect they frequented Wetherspoons to make use of the internet so that they could tweet their displeasure.

My experience of Gatwick last year was that they had the only usable internet.

I will also add that tweeting seems to be the only way to get a quick response (minutes as opposed to days) from a transportation organisation.

Blighty bloke: PC World lost my Mac Mini – and trolled my blog!

RogerT

Go into Dixons/Currys/PC World dressed as a rich idiot and the droids will swoon all over you. Dress as a geek and they leave you be.

'Tech troll' sues EFF to silence 'Stupid Patent of the Month' blog. Now the EFF sues back

RogerT

Re: EFF Lawyers are EFF'n Stupid

Those are known at micro% here. We also have the unit of "microsoft minutes" which seem to decrement and increment at random and bare no relation to reality.

Thousands of NHS staff details nicked amid IT contractor server hack

RogerT

Re: NI number? Why?

Why the blazing heck does a dosimetry company need to know people's NI numbers?

That was my immediate reaction. I suspect that this is an excessive amount of data being stored for this particular purpose. A staff number is probably reasonable but not an a NI number.

Amazon asks for spectrum to try out IoT networking gear

RogerT

What on earth does "5 minutes per hour per day per week" mean exactly?

BT installs phone 'spam filter', says it'll strain out mass cold-callers

RogerT

Re: Interesting development

When I was a BT customer I used to insist on asking my own security question first. Knowing that the agent, genuine or not, never has access to my call records I always asked what was the last number I dialled. Their explanations as to why they couldn't answer my question were great fun. Then I just told them that if they couldn't prove who they were I wouldn't talk to them and hung up.

Botched Microsoft update knocks Windows 8, 10 PCs offline – regardless of ISP

RogerT

Is this a UK only problem?

I'll happily admit that I live in a Microsoft free zone so this doesn't affect me but one thing interests me. Is this a UK only problem or are other countries affected as well?

UK.gov has outsourced tech policy to Ofcom because it is clueless – SNP techie

RogerT

I've always felt that Ofcom pays the most heed to those who shout the loudest rather than take a balanced view from all opinions. In my opinion Ofcom should make itself more remote from big business and closer to consumer groups who represent those most affected by their decisions.

As a TV viewer, radio listener, radio amateur, marine radio licence holder I see few actions by Ofcom that are in my interests and many that are not but on the other hand these are generally in favour of business interests. Furthermore I get the feeling that Ofcom are actually frightened of some businesses.

Great British Block-Off: GCHQ floats plan to share its DNS filters

RogerT

What happenswhen a DNS appears on the blacklist in error?

So what happens when a DNS appears on the blacklist in error? The thought of having to deal with an organisation like GCHQ fills me with horror. To me it sounds like a nightmare for some unfortunates.

Google killing app format used only by The 1%

RogerT

Chromecast

Chromecast is supported by an app so mine is going to become obsolete in early 2018.

What a difference a year makes: ICO tele-spam fines break £2m barrier

RogerT

They've made no difference

I'm still getting as many cold calls as I was two years ago. The only difference in the future is that I might be able to block a few more on my mobile.

Ofcom should be the BBC's ultimate overlord, UK.gov told

RogerT

Good grief

Ofcom and its previous organisations have allowed the UK TV and radio broadcasters to ride roughshod over their listeners for years to the extent that their programming is dreadful. God forbid that the BBC is allowed to follow suit.

Facebook tells Viz to f**k right off

RogerT

Re: Facebook? It's society in general

>For me it's any time I need to deal with a bank and have to do all that prove-your-identity / know-your-customer crap to prove that you aren't a terrorist

I always enjoy the sport of getting organisations to prove their identity to me when they ring. Their agents always claim to have no access to the information I request. It's a great sport.

Ransomware scum infect Tinseltown hospital, demand $3.6m

RogerT

Re: Bastards

It means that if someone attends A&E away from their local hospitals essential records can be easily transferred.

Email apparently from Home Office warns of emails apparently from Home Office

RogerT

Re: emails they deem suspicious

I've suffered both from the revenue as well.

What gets me is the only way I can find to claim a refund is via a formal complaint.

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