* Posts by codejunky

7085 publicly visible posts • joined 24 Oct 2011

Just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean AI's not after you

codejunky Silver badge

Hmm

He has a point. We are not standing in a muddy field for our grub. We are not stuck in factories. We dont have roads full of horse manure and have a very comfortable way of life of improving services even with some people trying to take us to the dark ages

UK signals legal changes to self-driving vehicle liabilities

codejunky Silver badge

@hoola

"It is not capable of running on the road and we must not be in the situation where to have self driving vehicles, there have to be massive upgrades to roads. That is completely pointless. Spend the money on public transport instead."

Why would we waste the money on public transport instead? Cars are popular for the simple fact that they actually work. You get in the car, drive to where you are going and get out, the exceptions being in crowded cities. Public transport may or not arrive, is not pleasant and you have to get yourself to the pickup point, travel to where the transport is doing dropoffs, then get to where you are going. And that is best case scenario of local travel, anything further afield is usually much worse.

I am not convinced of automated transport on the smaller roads but on the main arteries I can see it being a good idea. Especially for trucking goods.

codejunky Silver badge

Re: "Potholes"

@DJV

But the driver must be fleeced to subsidise other forms of transport. How dare we expect our roads to be car worthy

Uncle Sam snooping on US folks? Not without a warrant, lawmakers agree

codejunky Silver badge

Re: @DS999

@veti

"Considering he's the one who signed the present iteration into law (the FISA Amendments Reauthorization Act of 2017), I think you're being unreasonably generous there."

Fair catch

"Looking down this thread, it looks like the trolls are back in force. Starting to feel like summer 2016 all over again."

For some he seems to be the devil and others the messiah but both seem to forget he was a guy trying to run the country. I am not sure 2016 ever left, the events seem to have caused a lot of damage on both sides

codejunky Silver badge

Re: @DS999

@AC

"Another reason why commenters assume you're red-pilled?"

Because my opinion of the current sitting president isnt flattering? Thats not a high bar.

codejunky Silver badge

Re: @DS999

@AC

""There's no such thing as QAnon." Hmm?"

While I have heard of it that is about the extent of my knowledge of it (see it used as an insult but thats about it). How was I supposed to know thats what he was rambling on about?

"It's funny when the 'pilled deny being pilled."

While I get the reference of red pilled my first thoughts jumped to the jokes about Biden

codejunky Silver badge

Re: @DS999

@phuzz

"So how is life in Q land going"

Guessing you dont mean Queensland Aus (I am in the UK btw) I dunno what you are talking about.

"How was that 'storm' then"

Friggin sucked but was worse for other parts of the country. Although again I doubt you are talking about the actual storms so what are you on about?

"Still, at least Trump will be back to battle the deep state lizard people real soon now right?"

Someone needs to as per this article.

codejunky Silver badge

@DS999

"Not "section 702" since he's railed against it because he believes it was used against him, but he'd support something even worse that he could target against his enemies."

It was used against him. Not just for the sick purpose of attacking a private individual, not just to try and ruin his reputation and standing, but also to violate the election system and try to interfere with the election process. There is a very visible lawfare effort going on against Trump using the various tools of the state and violations of rights and constitution to do so. I cant say I have seen anything from Trump to suggest he would do the same (I may be wrong). I suggest he would be more likely to try and dismantle this huge violation of America's rights.

Your post seems to be particularly anti-Trump for some reason when what you have described seems to be whoever is running the current president and the president himself.

Regardless such tools of mass violation without any real oversight (and there have been cases of oversight being lied to) are a tempting weapon ripe for abuse by whoever can use them. Even a police officer having access to a database of his ex's information.

Italy seizes from Airbnb $836M in alleged unpaid taxes

codejunky Silver badge

@katrinab

"What on earth makes them think that paying the tax is optional, or something that can be discussed?"

I read it as AirBnB having to figure out which set of rules they need to play by between the Italian and EU versions.

In quest to defeat Euro red-tape, Apple said it had three Safari browsers – not one

codejunky Silver badge

Re: through the competition of the free market comes the prosperity and equal opportunity

@ecofeco

"The bad intent of every corporation is proven over and over, yet people still believe the fairy tale, on a website that shows examples of corporate malfeasance and jiggery pokery, every, single, day."

Agreed. Corporations and private business, hell even people are demonstrated with such intent. Replace the word corporation with government and you get the same problem. It is a generally human problem

codejunky Silver badge

Re: Smoke and mirrors

@43300

"Usually that's down to a major change in the market which they are too slow to adopt"

Agreed. That is one way in which they fail to keep up with the market.

"They really aren't! They may have been too slow to gain a significant share of the emerging smartphone market and the search market"

Do you remember before? Before google, android, apple in its current form? Microsoft were the absolute unbeatable and couldnt lose. Except as you point out they lost in the search and phone markets. For all their efforts at lock in the market bloomed and really dont hold the power they once did.

"plus they are the main player in the general-purpose office SaaS market (Google is really their only significant rival here)."

A business that didnt exist, came up through the search business and kicked MS ass (along with all the many others). MS no longer holding the monopoly position, there is competition.

*btw no downvote from me, I do agree with most of what you said, it seems to be some examples of the market working even though I know you disagree

codejunky Silver badge

Re: Smoke and mirrors

@43300

"There is no free market where monopolies and oligopolies are allowed to develop - their market power means that they can largely crush most new-entrant competition"

Except they fall. The various monopolies and oligopolies struggle and fall under the free market and try to hide behind increasing and expensive regulation to protect themselves. The most massive and unbeatable beasts have been felled by freer markets.

"Hence we have situations where big IT players (Microsoft, Google, Facebook, etc) can usually do pretty much whatever they want as there is no practical way of reigning them in, and little chance of any meaningful competition developing."

Microsoft were the big bad back when I was in school. Now they are vastly less powerful. Google leads, not Yaahoo or any of the others (including MS). Facebook scrapped on through the many platforms competing. We got the better products that people wanted. And when a better one arrives the old lead will likely fall.

codejunky Silver badge

Re: Smoke and mirrors

@imanidiot

"I don't see a good way out of this short of a major and extremely destructive global conflict/war though"

Freer markets resolve this problem pretty well. OPEC had us by the short and curlies until technology advanced. Microsoft was absolute tech dominance after IBM was. Mobile phones were Nokia. The big 5/6 supermarkets were making out like bandits.

codejunky Silver badge

Re: Smoke and mirrors

@elsergiovolador

"from Adam Smith to Milton Friedman, championed a vision replete with prosperity and equal opportunity"

That is free market. In a free market can be varying degrees of capitalist or socialist entities but through the competition of the free market comes the prosperity and equal opportunity.

Tenfold electric vehicles on 2030 roads could be a shock to the system

codejunky Silver badge

Interesting

For anyone who is interested in the coming train wreck of net zero-

https://fortuneandfreedom.com/gold-commodities/the-energy-transitions-delusions-past-present-and-future/

codejunky Silver badge

Re: It's ok, there are non car options..

@Doctor Syntax

"You have to plan, put real money in and work hard at implementing the plan over a number of years."

This has been the problem. The gov has had a plan, that didnt include building any actual power generation but monuments to a sky god. The plan discontinued power generation but didnt replace it nor account for the increasing demand over time.

On top of that we have seen real money pumped into these monuments and lots of money has been lost to this dream of magic providing the power. And this hasnt been over years but over a decade if not more than two. We have a plan, it is the targets that cannot be hit, that rely on technology that doesnt exist to solve a problem not understood but also by the claims of the 'problem' we have planned solutions such as Drax burning wood chips.

Hell the datacentres are already looking at privately sorting out their own power supplies! Too much planning and stealing money to spaff on dreams instead of doing the job they exist for.

UK MoD braves the weather to train maritime AI capabilities

codejunky Silver badge

Re: Hmm

@AC

"Seems the actual topic of the article was forgotten at the moment of your initial posting, Hmm?"

Nope. I suggested a plausible use for such capabilities while lampooning the state of our border controls.

codejunky Silver badge
FAIL

Re: Hmm

@AC

"Short memory?"

No, but also your comment has nothing to do with my post either.

codejunky Silver badge

Re: Hmm

@Yet Another Anonymous coward

"We shall preserve the pure white christian British race for ein tausend Jahre ..... ?"

What has that got to do with illegal immigration?

codejunky Silver badge

Hmm

Does it detect an overcrowded dinghy before it lands? Maybe to then make automatic bookings at nearby hotels.

FBI boss: Taking away our Section 702 spying powers could be 'devastating'

codejunky Silver badge

Power creep

Its easy to authorise new powers but very hard to take them away afterwards.

Meta's ad-free scheme dares you to buy your privacy back, one euro at a time

codejunky Silver badge

Re: So...

@Craig 2

"Every Facebook user who doesn't pay the £9.99 is going to GET £9.99 every month because that's what their data is worth... Right??"

Yes. Every facebook user not paying will be getting a service valued at £9.99 every month without paying a penny.

codejunky Silver badge

Re: Shocked?

@43300

"if you want to contact them it's often 'via Facebook Messenger' with no email address offered as an alternative. Wonder how many people lose interest at this point? I certainly do!"

Unfortunately not enough. I too prefer an email or phone number and will grudgingly use an 'online chat' feature on a website. But for those without the resources and knowledge to maintain other methods facebook has done a good job at making themselves attractive to both marketers and customers. To my disappointment too.

codejunky Silver badge

Re: Shocked?

@Filippo

"Some of it is entitlement, but most of it is just that most people don't realize how much data about them Meta collects, or how valuable it is, or how harmful targeted advertising can be."

How valuable is it? Barely over 30 cent per person? I am not sure how harmful targeted advertising is, first it isnt particularly good and second it is an extension of the targeting when people buy magazines/newspapers.

"There is also the problem that there are services that should have nothing to do with Meta, but in practice rely on Meta as an infrastructure, effectively forcing you to have a Meta account in order to interact with them. For example, some small businesses only publish fresh information on Facebook and leave their website to neglect; also, way too many people and businesses rely on WhatsApp; local schools use Meta services for students, teachers and parents; and so on, and so forth."

I would suggest that the latter disproves your starting premise. You say these services have nothing to do with meta except then they rely on meta as the platform to provide the service. You may dislike that they rely on meta but these services obviously rely on meta.

"This is not technically Meta's fault, but it's also not the end users' fault, and it's excessively difficult to convince a school that they should not use WhatsApp groups. Because, see above, they don't know how harmful unchecked data collection is."

And the parents can refuse to use it. And if they miss out that is the price of the individuals freedom to choose not to use something. You can try to educate the school (I would agree with you) but it is quick and easy and provides the infrastructure the school needs and frees up the schools time and resources for other things.

codejunky Silver badge

Shocked?

People want facebook. People dont want to spend any money to use facebook. People dont want ads which pays for facebook.

Some entitled people demanding this.

The UK government? On the right track with its semiconductor strategy?

codejunky Silver badge

Re: As some of us said at the time...

@Andy 73

"So it's nice to read that (at last) reports are coming out that vindicate this view."

I certainly remember such a view attracted a number of downvotes (and the popping up of my pet troll). Lets hope Labour dont undo this choice.

King Charles III signs off on UK Online Safety Act, with unenforceable spying clause

codejunky Silver badge

@Disgusted Of Tunbridge Wells

"If only we had a conservative party to rail against this."

We can keep waiting but anything to the right of Stalin seems to be extreme right nowadays.

Progress towards 'Gigabit Europe' is slow, with UK also lagging

codejunky Silver badge

Eh?

Why should everyone upgrade their tech to the faster speeds? Why dont people get what they want and there are some people who choose to have nothing. Not everyone is interested in tech. Not everyone streams, games and wants blazing internet. Some people dont even like smart phones and associated technology.

Want a clean energy transition? Better start putting cash into electrical grid

codejunky Silver badge

Re: It's not even 2024 and 1.5C is already slipping away...

@garwhale

"I doubt that anyone set a target of 5C for global warming. Reference, please."

Dunno why someone downvoted you. To be honest its from memory and a good while ago when any old lie could be pushed to strike fear and push the solutions of the new religion. Maybe if I am bored at some point I will see if I can find a reference but probably at least a decade ago.

codejunky Silver badge

Re: It's not even 2024 and 1.5C is already slipping away...

@Filippo

"That looks like a fairly reasonable style for an Internet comment"

At no point do I consider his comment an unreasonable style. Instead I was responding to what sounded like a hopelessness and resignation to something bad by pointing out the lack of reasoning to assume bad nor that the doom should be taken too seriously as there wont be any positive articles when it comes to the climate change fear. I dont know if you have seen positive climate change news but generally its a continuation of the usual propaganda of fear.

"Your message is also flickering between "there is no climate change" (e.g. you reject the accuracy of historical data) and "we cannot stop climate change" (e.g. King Cnute)."..."ignoring the fact that they are logically incompatible - something can't be both nonexisting and unstoppable at the same time."

That is where corrupt language is a problem. The redefinition is that a climate change denier must deny the MMCC co2 green madness. Yet just look at the words themselves- climate change denier, clearly someone who denies the climate changes. And we know the climate changes as it has throughout history. At what point do I deny the accuracy of historical data? That we cant measure 0.5C long into history shouldnt really be controversial. That the climate has changed is just one of those glorious facts that stands.

The reason the corrupted redefinition is a problem is that people now look at any climate change as MMCC which of course could make them a real climate change denier! Personally I would accept we might maybe have some effect on the climate but the actions taken in response seem to demonstrate it isnt important, followed closely by not believing a lot of the propaganda.

"That's also a red flag for propaganda: employing highly emotional language to prevent people from thinking rationally about the underlying message."

So we can agree the article is using emotive language as does propaganda and that OP doesnt need to feel so down?

codejunky Silver badge

Re: Serious question

@Thought About IT

"How much of a genius would you have to be to work out that you need shops, access to public transport, schools, play areas, pubs, doctors and dentists?"

At what capacity? Remember this is for people within 15 minutes so you need to get this right and for a changing demographic of child births, deaths, migration. What kind of shops? What if its not profitable to have said shop/pub there, will prod nose insist it is propped up with public money? What public transport in what quantity, especially as people naturally prefer the freedom of private cars even though idiots keep trying to close down roads to force walking/cycling? What happens when prod nose administrator claims there are too many takeaways, what is the right amount?

And yet left to people this is resolved with the quantity desired in the locations desired. Bar of course the public services such as buses.

codejunky Silver badge

Re: Serious question

@Thought About IT

"There's nothing intrinsically wrong with the idea of not having to travel far to the shops and doctors and dentists - except in the minds of conspiracists."

The idea has nothing wrong. Practically its a big problem. Why would some no nothing administrator (even if it was some friggin genius) know what people need in a 15 minute radius? Or what is economical? Desirable?

codejunky Silver badge

Re: It's not even 2024 and 1.5C is already slipping away...

@Filippo

"In fact, now that you mention it, it looks suspiciously like propaganda of fear."

Really? So factual statements (granted a little but not too much hyperbole with the mud hut bit) seem like propaganda to you? Do you believe vast amounts of money havnt been thrown at this green madness? Are you under the illusion that our energy supply, security and availability hasnt been reduced (I am in the UK but this applies for countries following the green madness)? Have you been asleep as the facts have come out about historical data being adjusted? Stop the tide being a reference to the King Cnute anecdote if you didnt get it, but if you do then you can surely draw the parallel with trying to stop natural climate change?

And I was responding to someone who is panicking over 0.5/1C and things always look worse in our attempts to limit the climate changing. They cant even long term historically measure to that degree of accuracy, but we doomed I tell ya!

codejunky Silver badge

Re: Serious question

@Thought About IT

"People in government know might believe that the climate is changing and accept that it's caused by our CO2 emissions"

"but the fossil fuel industries have physics has made it politically impossible to take the requisite actions"

A bit of fixing for you.

"Hence, the idea of having access to basic services within a 15 minute walk or bike ride has become the conspiracy that local councils can decide how often you go to the shops and that they ration who uses the roads and when, and police it all with CCTV. Wind turbines slaughter birds. Solar panels are a blight on the countryside. Etc."

Very much facts. Why should people be fined for leaving their administrators fantasy boundary? Why should people accept monuments to a sky god in place of energy generation?

"What they don't talk about is that global heating will lead to a huge influx of refugees from countries that become uninhabitable. Choose carefully who you want to believe."

What we want to believe is irrelevant. Facts dont care about your feelings. This is where there is a massive problem with green madness and its ignorance of reality.

codejunky Silver badge

Re: It's not even 2024 and 1.5C is already slipping away...

@Arthur the cat

"There's lots of whinging that an unspecified they are making us do things we don't want to do"

Unspecified? Very well specified that governments are doing so. Green pressure groups and the church of the MMCC we all doomed. Who actually voted for our energy policies? Not just UK but Germany, US, etc.

We laugh at St Greta the idjit and the decision makers go pander to the child. Normal weather is being portrayed as exceptions caused by the new sky fairy. We are all taking higher energy prices and everything being more expensive for this religion that helps nobody. The propaganda is touted as truth and it has taken a long time for people to start looking at this nonsense and increasingly realising they have been taken for a fool, regardless of your belief in MMCC.

Idiots closing power generation. Idiots insisting food should be put in fuels. Idiots insisting we need to electrify everything without the foundations to do so nor even the sense to check if it is viable or even worth doing. Idiots trying to increasingly regulate the minutia of our lives. And not even a convincing reason to do any of it.

codejunky Silver badge

Re: It's not even 2024 and 1.5C is already slipping away...

@drankinatty

"but just within the past decade we have seen the warming target creep from 1.0-1.5C, and now the realization that we have a near even-chance of seeing 2C unless our grid capacity is magically doubled."

Really? I saw the target of 5C, then 3C then 1.5C as they try to push us back into mud huts and peasant lifestyle. All because they are certain we are doomed but dont have a clue how or why. If historical data is 'adjusted' enough we will all burn or drown or whatever. Look at the vast amounts of money thrown at this non-problem which has reduced our energy supply, security and availability but then they want us to spaff loads more money on their next wet dreams.

All to stop the tide from coming in.

"How about a cheery climate article next time El Reg?"

Are you kidding? Propaganda of fear cannot be cheery. The best we can look forward to is abandoning the madness and that will upset those who think the end is nigh.

First Brexit, now X-it: Musk 'considering' pulling platform from EU over probe

codejunky Silver badge

Hmm

"This was particularly in light of renewed hostilities between Israel and Hamas, and the potential disinformation campaigns that had begun swirling online"

Only a few minutes ago I was reading about the media pushing about some hospital in Gaza being blown to pieces by Israel bombing and killing 500 people being incorrect. Apparently it was a terrorist rocket misfiring into the hospital car park and not even leaving a crater (dunno if it killed anyone).

Not defending X but as for media lies there have been a lot for a while!

Boris Johnson's mad hydrogen for homes bubble bursts

codejunky Silver badge

Hmm

"The UK should abandon its efforts to replace gas boilers"

By UK it means government and the above is all that needs to be said. The government is not good at picking winners and is just impoverishing people for their 'righteous' beliefs.

$6.2B in profit wasn't enough: Nvidia hikes GeForce Now prices for Canada and Europe

codejunky Silver badge

Re: Hmm

@ecofeco

"6 BILLION in profit is not just "having some money.""

It is some money. And again does not invalidate my comment.

codejunky Silver badge

Hmm

"it could be as simple as offsetting higher energy prices – it's worth pointing out the company isn't exactly short of cash."

And by keeping up with operational costs the company isnt short of cash. Should they just give stuff away because they have some money?

British boffins say aircraft could fly on trash, cutting pollution debt by 80%

codejunky Silver badge

Re: they've moved on

@Dan 55

"This is a new business model being forced onto people as the old business model is retired from the market or prIced out of reach, not a lifestyle choice."

I dont disagree (dunno who downvoted but here's an upvote). The own nothing crowd to me range from governments to private business trying to 'provide' a 'service' against what the people want. I see it as a next step from vendor lock in where they made it difficult to move from one to another.

codejunky Silver badge

Re: more BS university studies

@elsergiovolador

"Are you not afraid of publicly expressing such extremist views?"

I am amazed at how such a short line of text can be so disconnected from reality but why should I be afraid of publicly expressing the very common and obvious truth (it isnt just the relatively rich of the UK who fill up UK airports for example) but also why you would consider my comment to be extremist? Assuming you mean the small part you quoted to be extremist I can only assume you are from the communist bloc? Possibly N.Korea?

For example you seemed to be pointing toward the government made problem of food going into fuel instead of feeding people. Which I agree is a problem and note it is caused by idiots (gov policy if it was unclear). The markets happily used fuel for fuel and food for food in general.

Maybe you can clarify what you think is extremist and why you feel I should be afraid?

codejunky Silver badge

Re: Where will we be going on planes in 2030?

@Ntangled Qbit

"Climate scientist says total climate breakdown is now inevitable"

Isnt that the normal spiel, followed by- we have X days to save the earth. Its the usual grift dont worry

codejunky Silver badge

Re: they've moved on

@My other car WAS an IAV Stryker

"I think I prefer that situation to the rampant consumerism of "own everything while owing everything to your creditors"."

Why? People maintain private property better than public in general (public property or commercial 'service'). People care more about what they own, use it wiser and utilise it in ways that serve them. The own nothing and be happy crowd live a fantasy utopia which falls over when people value things at nothing.

codejunky Silver badge

Re: more BS university studies

@elsergiovolador

"What is better: feed the poor or have jet fuel so that the rich can fly their bottoms to St Barts to let go of all that stress of having so much money?"

Except the rich people are us, or at least people who like to travel (see the amusing picture of the just stop oil idiot on a plane). And the problem isnt the fuel, there is plenty of it, its the idiots insisting on blending food into it (just like our cars). Would be better to stop the blending nonsense with food and just leave it up to people and the markets to decide.

Britcoin or Britcon? Bank of England grilled on Digital Pound privacy concerns

codejunky Silver badge

Re: whatever it is that Parliament has decided is the right boundary for privacy

@Splod

"What if gold, silver and copper became legal tender again?"

Interestingly there is already a middle ground being attempted which looks very interesting- Tallymoney. Basically a private gold backed currency.

Nuclear-powered datacenters: What could go wrong?

codejunky Silver badge

@Dagg

"So it is now up and operating? And all the area around it is fully populated... Everything back to normal? Yeah Right."

It is safe. After being hit by a tsunami and earthquake that killed many people and caused severe damage the power plant is safe. Why have the goalposts moved to it having to now be operating again?

I was amazed at the hassle the nuclear operator got (aside from the diesel generator issue) when the Japanese government didnt consider the risk enough to warrant better protection for the people. For all that died nuclear killed none.

On the population note, people were moved away in a moment of over-caution so they wouldnt be in the path of steam which was nothing but steam before it would reach the perimeter of the plant. The forced move causing suicides but showed the gov was 'doing something'.

"The problem was the tsunami was bigger than what they designed for, so even a brand new design would have failed."

And failed safely, even with the backup generators being knocked out too. And the nuclear plant was an older design.

codejunky Silver badge
Thumb Up

@cyberdemon

"Fukushima was a very old design of plant that was hit by a terrible natural disaster - the tsunami itself killed about 50,000 people IIRC"

Hit by an earthquake and tsunami as well as their back up generators being poorly positioned and knocked out of action. Yet still for all the wet dream hopes of a catastrophe by the media and greens there wasnt one.

Stunning victory for nuclear which the Germans somehow got confused about.

It's time to celebrate the abysmal efforts to go paperless in the NHS

codejunky Silver badge

Re: Of course

@Yet Another Anonymous coward

"So your thesis is that the problem of NHS IT is that little-endian processors are woke ?"

My theory is the NHS is too big to manage. Instead of dealing with the real issues we have virtue signalling to the few noisy nutters instead of the primary focus of delivering healthcare. The NHS is a big beast which is plagued with central planning. Again look at the examples I mention and ask if any sanity is there? And you jump to the woke parts but what about the supply of nurses constrained by government?

Should we be clapping for the NHS or should we be freeing nurses and doctors to do their job and allowing the market of supply and demand dictate staffing? We have a huge monolith trying and failing to implement IT regularly and only recently managed to get off the fax machine.

codejunky Silver badge

Of course

Our envy of the modern world is giving ambulance workers time off for male menopause, rewriting documents to say chest feeding then consulting on undoing PC stupidity and absurdity, trying to figure out if males should be on female wards or not and spaffing money on agency staff because nurse training is constrained by government just to name a few 'important' things to our glorious envy of the world.

The idea they could figure out how to solve their IT issues is neigh on impossible as a comment above explains very well- https://forums.theregister.com/forum/all/2023/10/05/pick_your_year_its_time/#c_4738261

Too big to manage, too expensive to afford.