* Posts by John Tserkezis

2242 publicly visible posts • joined 16 Jun 2007

Time for a brutal TELLY-OFF: Android TV versus Firefox OS

John Tserkezis

Re: Android TV lost me at...

"So create a dummy account with fake name. No need to give them a phone number or address. Not that difficult."

Google is edging closer to a valid email (no wait - you can create a fake one), or 2nd order auth with a cellphone (no wait - you can buy a cheapy sim)...

Thanks, but no thanks - by the time I finish, the "smart" tv will be obsolete.

John Tserkezis

Re: I mostly agree

"I reckon the dumb panel will go obsolete less often than the brain."

If firmware upgrades on TVs are anything like cellphones, you're at the whim of the vendor. That is, after a couple of minor fixes (and a plethora of ad-inducing extras) you're going to be stuck with that version forever more.

I'm so glad I opted for a regular PC with customised windows settings turning it into an appliance. It does absolutely everything, without the crap. And if there is crap, it can be worked around anyway.

Thanks, but I'm not sold on any of the smart tv os's.

Hackers invade systems holding medical files on 4.5 million Cali patients

John Tserkezis

"believed to be the work of criminal hackers."

Perhaps it was the NSA.

No wait, same thing...

Flubbed hardware fix knocked out 911 calls, T-Mobile US cops big fine

John Tserkezis

Oh but never mind, if they go the way of Australia's NBN, your only way to make a call is either SIP, or other voip option. The "carriers" obligation to call assurance will be absolved along with our ability to make emergency calls when the Internet is down yet again.

Better make sure your cellphone is charged.

Thunder-faced Mozilla lifts Flash Firefox block after 0-days plugged

John Tserkezis
Thumb Down

Place your bets ladies and gentlemen!

How many days before this brand spanking new version collects some brand spanking new zero-day exploits?

Place your bets!

I give it a week.

Apple and Samsung are plotting to KILL OFF the SIM CARD - report

John Tserkezis

Yeah, right.

Oh rubbish. It's aiming at shifting the user changing SIMs on a whim, to the carriers changing SIMs on a whim.

Instead of "just" buying a new SIM card over the counter, you need to call the new carrier, invariably get connected to India, after you spend an hour screwing around with the DTMF menus. When you're finally connected, you say you bought a new phone with a built-in SIM, and they tell you 'fuck off we can't help you'.

All in the interest of progress you understand.

Apple proffers FREE iCLOUD SUBS to tackle Greek debt crisis

John Tserkezis

"Who are the Greek people?"

Look at my name. I have family in greece, we do talk, and I get a good idea of what's happening. You can equally blame the goverment, as well as the people for ripping off each other. NOTHING will change till you entirely revamp the attitudes of BOTH.

Oh, and good luck with that.

Free internet for kids! Obama's offering free internet to kids! (Yes, there's a catch)

John Tserkezis

I must be missing someting..

Where's the "Catch" as specified in the heading? The article sounds like one big fat sales pitch.

Oh, never mind, I get it now.

Ex-MIT prof jailed for 'making experimental film' about bank robbery. In a bank. Without saying it was a film

John Tserkezis

"You never can tell if the character he is playing is actually him or a work of fiction,"

Sometimes, a nutcase is just a nutcase.

Blighty's BONKERS BANKING BONKING BONANZA: Apple Pay arrives

John Tserkezis

"but paywave down here in OZ is very simple: If the transaction is sub-AU$100, simply bonk/wave your card and move on."

Would also be worthy to add that pay-by-bonk-NFC is reasonably widespread here. The larger stores are guaranteed to be capable, and smaller stores where their bonk box is reasonably (last few years) new.

Not only that, it's been available for at least several years (in usable numbers), so has gained some good momentum. I don't see Apple trying to get into the market, as they'll just be delivering what we already have, albeit with needing to take cards out of our wallets. But hey, who cares?

Heck, I've even seen people tape their cards to the back of their phones. Pay-by-bonk-by-proxy?

But even if that day comes, at $1300+ (vs an NFC card from your bank for nothing), nope, good value it aint.

Adobe: We REALLY are taking Flash security seriously – honest

John Tserkezis

"your parents use it, your children use it, admit it – you use it"

Not anymore! I've already said on another thread that since it wouldn't even install anymore - I'm ridding myself of it. Mind you, I'm pissing a couple of hundred bucks of subscriptions that I can't get anymore up the wall, but truth be said, I'm glad, and I wouldn't have done it were it not for Adobe forcing my hand.

So I'm free of it forever. It's quite liberating actually, kinda like swimming naked. (so I've been told)

EU squashes bogus copyright scare as red-faced Guardian slaps down Wiki's Wales

John Tserkezis

A slightly different thought on the matter.

I think it's the media giants that creating grass roots anti-copyright groups with insane demands, knowing full well they're going to get shouted down, with their demands never to be implemented anywhere, anyhow, anywhen.

That way, the status quo remains, and the media giants get to keep things the way they like it.

Flash HOLED AGAIN TWICE below waterline in fresh Hacking Team reveals

John Tserkezis

I no longer have to care anymore.

I had hundreds of dollars invested in two longer term online magazines that were delivered by flash and flash only.

This last installment of flash refuses to install into my copy of Firefox (both offline and onine installers) so that broke the camel's back. Especially since older versions of flash will not work.

So that's it. Any site that requires flash is going to go without me seeing it ever again. Good fucking riddance, and don't let the door hit your arse on the way out.

On yer bike: Hammerhead satnav for cyclists – just don't look down

John Tserkezis

Re: Rules are for you too.

"As for pedestrians, well, they just do as they like."

I was classed as a "high volume cyclist" on a medical report (whatever that means), before the arthritis kicked in an put an end to all that.

In that time, I spent a lot of if on a variety of roads, some paved, some not.

Just my observations: Trucks and motorcyclists were no issue at all. Cars were sometimes an issue (helps if you look where you're going you idiots), but cars pale into obscurity when it comes to pedestrians. Seriously, they just don't give a fuck about anyone or anything, anytime or anywhere.

Pan Am Games: Link to our website without permission and we'll sue

John Tserkezis

"Personally, I'm not going to link to Toronto2015."

Disturbing, just disturbing. But not as distubring as the Toronto games.

Google says its AI will jetwash all traces of malodorous spam from your box

John Tserkezis

"Google says its AI will jetwash all traces of malodorous spam from your box"

But not the spam from their affiliated advertising partners, right? Thought so.

Brit teen who unleashed 'biggest ever distributed denial-of-service blast' walks free from court

John Tserkezis

but had later showed "complete and genuine remorse."

Wow. £70,000 can buy a lot of remorse nowadays, can't it?

Microsoft starts switching on paid Wi-Fi service with latest Windows 10 preview

John Tserkezis

Re: so much for open wi-fi

"will be signing deals to offer Microsoft's pay-to-access Wi-Fi routers now?"

The idea is not new or unique. There are a number of companies offering services like this. Bascially, they do as you said - they make deals with various hotels/conference centres etc. The corporate end user gets sent either to, or near one of these places, they look for the relevant WiFi SSID name and run up the connection software. From here they enter their regular corporate login, and it all magically works and paid for by the corporate overlords.

Microsoft might eliminate or streamline some of those steps, but it's bascially the same idea.

From what I remember, our corporate overlords paid a truck load of money in contractual form to have that servcice available to us, so I can't see Microsoft doing this "on the cheap". And that might be the problem, if you're aiming for the domestic (cost sensitive) market, I don't see cellular portable WiFi access points going away anytime soon. Nor freebee WiFi points (even if you have to look for one) either.

NASA chooses ace SPACE PILOTS who'll take the USA back into manned flight

John Tserkezis

They didn't pick me.

Probably a good thing though.

Especially inconvenient when you're tied up in a small tin can with a crazy person. (That would be me)

Smartphones are ludicrously under-used, so steal their brains

John Tserkezis

But smartphone resourses are already being used...

...With all the advertising attached to just about every app out there.

We tried using Windows 10 for real work and ... oh, the horror

John Tserkezis

Re: Waiting for SP1?

"MS claims that there will be continuous updates"

Like that worked out just great. I had a Windows RT tablet that had the WiFi borked by a windows update. Yep, your only connection to the outside world no longer works. I had to go through each and every update, read up on the description and users' reviews, and guess which one did it.

I found the offending update and disabled it, but needed another box with a working internet connection and some spare time I didn't have. For the average home user who doesn't have two computers? Screw you.

Uninstalling one service pack is easier than working out which of the thousand updates bent you over.

Bing Maps seen wearing creepy mask that makes it look a bit like ...

John Tserkezis

Re: Bing had the data all along...

"All of these new 'updates' could have been done long ago."

It's not that easy actually. It still requires a substancial amount of manual labour because the raw data can actually be miseading if it were treated as machine-readable.

Many don't realise the amount of work that Google puts into their maps, because you only see the UI, it works, all the data is laid out nicely and it just works. If you had to do the same, and had the crap that comes out the regular mapping agencies (especially here in Australia) you'll see that.

Remember laughing at the Apple maps thing? Well, here's no surprise, Googled had to address the same issues - the data was crap as machine-raeadable, and had to put the work in anyway.

Americans in Europe like using Wi-Fi calling, Ericsson discovers

John Tserkezis

"The company claims that using Wi-Fi calling while overseas could lead to your phone handing off between cellular and Wi-Fi, which could lead to your being charged twice."

Sure, they would really care about that - and nothing to do with the fact that the customer would be paying much, much more using regular voice channels.

The sad song Samsung's sung: SEVENTH quarterly fail in a row

John Tserkezis

Did they think that continual bloat would help the issue?

It's like they thought it was a good idea.

Oi, idiot fanbois. DON'T buy this gun-shaped iPhone case, mmkay?

John Tserkezis

Re: Not good

"You would think so. Until you learn a little about the issue and realize that controlling guns doesn't have much of a statistical impact on violent crimes.

Really. Got a good source for that?"

Granted, this is a small sample size (especially when compared to the US, and more so when you consider guns are not acceped as a natural part of life), but in Australia, we had a gun buyback sceme set up where you could surrender your firearm for market value (I think) where it was subsequently destroyed.

This study https://www.melbourneinstitute.com/downloads/working_paper_series/wp2008n17.pdf, shows the sceme "did not have any large effects on reducing firearm homicide or suicide rates."

So there. Well, for a small sample size anyway...

WHY did NASA probe go suddenly SILENT - JUST as it was about to send pics of remote ice-world?

John Tserkezis

It was the aliens of course...

...They didn't want some pesky humans discovering their outpost. Duh.

Reddit meltdown: Top chat boards hidden as rebellion breaks out

John Tserkezis

Re: Here we go again

"Admin treats the moderators with contempt, and then wonders why they are complaining and why the system is falling apart around them."

So, it's better than Yahoo Groups then?

Houston Astros 'hack' row: St Louis Cardinals fire their chief scout

John Tserkezis

Sooner or later, those who use insecure passwords, along with lax handling of said passwords, are the ones who should be held accountable.

The fact they were "hacked" was entirely due to their incompetence.

Hide the HUD, say boffins, they're bad for driver safety

John Tserkezis

Re: Wrong question

"Each year they buy more and more cameras and bombard us with ads that speed cameras saves lives yet tragically each year the road toll increases."

To be fair, they've removed many cameras.

Sure, all of them were low-income cameras, but that's just a coincedence - they assure us.

Cash-strapped Chicago slaps CLOUD TAX on Netflix, Spotify etc users

John Tserkezis
Coat

Re: playing games online or otherwise?

"what about playing board games? so they tax per session, or just the game itself?"

What about playing with ourselves? Does the tax apply to that?

Yes, I know...

Get READY: Scientists set to make TIME STAND STILL tonight

John Tserkezis

Re: Having a single time is a nonsense

"Australians just happen to get up at 18:00, that's all

They already have Christmas in June anyway."

Hey! No we don't.

No wait, the shopping centres usually start advertising their Christmas crap at about June, so you're right after all. Sorry, as you were.

UH OH: Windows 10 will share your Wi-Fi key with your friends' friends

John Tserkezis

Oh goody. I'll be using Windows 7 forever then. Thanks.

Samsung vows to stop knackering Windows Update on your laptops

John Tserkezis

"Samsung has a commitment to security"

Sure, that's why they disabled Windows Update in the first place.

Yahoo! displaces Ask in Oracle's Java update crapware parade

John Tserkezis

The deal is also a huge loss to Ask.

Cry me a river.

This whopping 16-bit computer processor is being built by hand, transistor by transistor

John Tserkezis

Re: This is brilliant...

"...but when is he going to start on the GPU?"

Soon. If you can't log into facebook with it, the kids lose interest.

DEATH by VEGETABLES: Woman charged with killing boyf using carrots. And peas

John Tserkezis

So vegetables ARE bad for you.

Our parents lied to us.

Buh bye fakers? Amazon tweaks customer product reviews system

John Tserkezis

Re: What about fake products?

"Not forgetting those products with "Genuine Leather"

I remember reading about someone who bought a wallet that was labelled "Genuine Vinyl". Seems some are more honest than others.

Thing users: you need national narrowband

John Tserkezis

Good idea, we need some cheap comms methods for iot things, because currently, for Mere Mortal Humans, you're looking at possibly $50-$100+ (and/or WiFi too) to add internet depending on which way you start, and go to. On a per toaster basis, that's bloody expensive outside of the odd project.

However, since the author mentioned the NBN (and technically didn't have to) I can't help but think, somehow, the goverment is going to get their fingers in that pie and fuck things up.

Even Apple doesn’t mess with Taylor Swift

John Tserkezis

Re: Supermarkets

"That's actually a pretty dumb thing to say, and I mean that in the most loving possible way."

Er, no.

Our (Australian) supermarkets "negotiate" with the farmers for a lower price. That is, "sell it to us at this price, or we'll go elsewhere".

Post-pub nosh neckfiller: Nasi goreng pattaya

John Tserkezis

Thank you El Reg, thank you...

...for making me hungry again...

AT&T fined about 3 days of profit ($100m) for limiting 'unlimited' plans

John Tserkezis

"push for an Act that demands that ALL ads of any nature tell nothing but the complete, unvarnished truth"

As the saying goes, Good Luck With That.

Raspberry Pi guys want you to go topless in the heat

John Tserkezis

I was never comfortable with hot silicon. So I put heatsinks on the ones that do grunt, and a baby fan in the case. Cool as a cucumber now.

I'm not sure if it actually needs it mind you, it might run happy hot, there's been a lot of discussion on it, but no reports of meltdowns... But like I said it always makes me nervous.

DON’T add me to your social network, I have NO IDEA who you are

John Tserkezis

Re: Nobody is immune...

"My mail server now bounces everything from LinkedIn to abuse@linkedin.com."

You know they don't actually pay attention to it. Kinda like the non-functional "Close Door" button on some lifts. It's just there to give you a warm and fuzzy feeling. Kinda like they care - but really don't.

Apple store staffers probed like 'criminals', lawsuit claims

John Tserkezis

I used to have job once.

They never searched us. After reading the article, I thought it was odd, till I remembered my employer didn't have "Apple" in the company name. That must be it.

Australia gets its site filter at LAST

John Tserkezis

I'm glad that child-molesting dentist in queensland(*) they were cornering in the last filter is finally out of their sights.

(*) For those unaware, the first failed attempt at the government's filter that had supposedly only the vilest of the vile child pornograhers on it, also had some innocent queensland dentist on it. Even though the list was hidden, never to be seen, it gets out, and quite rightly, no-one wasted any time in making the goverment look like retarded fuckmoles that they are.

However, it appears it didn't work. So, calling govco retarded fuckmoles doesn't work, because they already know they are. Perhaps time to try something different. I'd take the safe approach and nuke them from orbit.

Science teacher jammed his school kids' phones, gets week suspension

John Tserkezis

Re: What?

"A helpful passer-by should just run home and use their LAND LINE, should they?"

Let me guess. You're in your early 20's and have never had a cellular outage in your life? Or flat batteries. Or expired credits. Nice life you live there. Treasure it, you might not have it forever.

John Tserkezis

Re: Whatever happened to 'respect'???

"I respect my customers, but I have to answer the phone."

This is fair, but there are limits too though. The Cardiologyst that was assigned to me after some surgery, in the space of nearly an hour of consultation, spent about half of it on a personal phone call, nothing related to work. Hands free. So he not only appeared to not give a shit about my time, ditto for the time of his assoicate, who's privacy was clearly of upmost importance too.

To be fair though, this might be a job thing, I've worked with contractors who spend mere seconds taking jobs, and the odd times they do talk to friends, they talk and work at the same time.

Smartwatch biz Pebble says smartwatch biz Apple won't approve its new app – surprise

John Tserkezis

Don't look at me, I'm not supporting the fruity bastards.

Couple sues estate agent who sold them her mum's snake-infested house

John Tserkezis

Odd, I'd normally say it's the real estate agents themselves that are the snakes.

Tossed all your snaps into the new Google Photos? You read the terms, right? ... RIGHT?

John Tserkezis

I don't think it's going to make any difference. I'm STILL fielding calls from so-called "seasoned" facebook and Instragram users who are unaware of their overlord's policy on pinching their photos.