The Mac Pro
somehow looks a bit like a mixture between a turbojet engine and a water kettle. And strangely this mixture is working out well. Strange but beautiful.
Perhaps it needs a warning tag to prevent people from filling in water, though.
Posts by Chairo
716 publicly visible posts • joined 2 Nov 2012
Rare HPC beauties unveiled: Quivering racks, Lustre clusters and the tiers of a Cray
Facebook: Yes, we made you SAD on PURPOSE... for your own good
Conformist Google: Android devices must LOOK, WORK ALIKE
Tuesday 1st July 2014 02:58 GMT 
Isn't Android open source in the first place?
I don't see what Google can do against anyone putting Android on a TV, as long as they stick to the Android core, published by the Open Handset Alliance. They might block the play store and other googly closed source stuff, but who needs the Google Maps app on a TV?
That said - who needs Android on a TV, anyway? - But that is another question.
Amazon Fire: Who needs a WAREHOUSE when you have a global ADS PLATFORM?
True fact: Your CAT wees ... like a racehorse
Monday 30th June 2014 07:19 GMT
Re: Do you have exceptionally large mice in the El Reg offices?
You asked for it:
take it with a (giant rat sized) grain of salt, considering the source. Oh, and don't read it before going to bed...
Zero-knowledge proof crypto scheme divines truths from nothing
Physicist proposes 1,000-foot state-sized walls to stop tornadoes
Intel, Ford: Project Mobii will harpoon unsafe, unauthorized drivers
Devs: Fancy a job teaching Siri to speak the Queen's English?
Friday 27th June 2014 06:25 GMT
Do they accept applications from Giraffoids ?
Mobile SIM chip-makers 'will be fined by EU' for price-fixing, say sources
Friday 27th June 2014 02:43 GMT
Re: 10% of Samsung global revenue
"... you're confusing revenue with profit."
I stand corrected. After checking once more, the difference is roughly about factor 10.
So the maximum possible fine would be around 20 billion dollars. That would be still somewhat lower than their annual profit. Seems, that Samsung could probably survive this.
That said, yes, I agree. It would be completely unreasonable to fine that kind of money in this case. My point is, that the legal upper limit for the fine is extremely high. Usually courts take the financial situation in consideration, when they hand out the slapping. Several factors are taken into account, including the damage to the public and who was the leader of the cartel. Looking at past cases, they usually set the fine in a range that really hurts, but doesn't kill.
Setting up an illegal cartel is not a gentleman offence, it's a serious crime. Unfortunately there are still enough salespeople around that don't get the message and are surprised when they are send to jail. Btw. parking in front of a hydrant can become really expensive, if there happens to be a fire around. You might lose more than just your car.
Thursday 26th June 2014 07:44 GMT
Re: 10% of Samsung global revenue
companies would feel it isn't worth the risk to do business there
Oh come on - always the same old argument - "don't fine us for breaking the rules or we will leave!"
Given, that the EU is one of the biggest markets in the world and has a very solid legal framework, it is unlikely that any company will find the risk to do business there is too high. If you leave the EU because of legal uncertainty - what about China? Oh look - they are all there! Isn't greed a wonderful stimulus?
As for the damage to the public - I could imagine that it could be quite high. Chip cards are sold in enormous quantities worldwide. The damage will likely go in the billions. If I understood the article correctly, they didn't only fix SIM card prices, but also similar chip cards. How many of these passed your hands in the last 10 years or so?
Anyway - let's lean back and enjoy the show!
Edit: Btw: 10% of Samsung's yearly revenue would be about 2 billion US$.
Thursday 26th June 2014 03:16 GMT
Re: 10% of Samsung global revenue
Yes they can. Price fixing is a serious crime, but it is hard do prove, so whenever an illegal cartel is discovered, it is going to be expensive, indeed. Fines in the range of a few hundred million $/€/£ are not so rare.
Also Samsung and Infineon are old hands on fixing prices. (Or at getting caught).
USB charger is prime suspect in death of Australian woman
Friday 27th June 2014 02:10 GMT
Burn marks on her ears?
After reading this article, I checked all headphones around, and the in-ear button type ones all have a metal plate in direct contact with the skin. Possibly connected to the shielding, that serves as GND. (Why is there never a multimeter at hand, when you need one)? It seems to be an odd design choice.
The more modern auditory channel type headphones seem to be safer, btw.
With a properly grounded charger this woman would probably still be alive. That said, all USB chargers I ever saw had only 2 pin connectors. OK, dodgy chargers take certainly most of the blame here, but it seems headphone makers should also think twice about their design choices. 2 electrodes, each connected closely to one side of the brain, what could possibly go wrong?
Google pries open YOUR mailbox, invites developer partners
Own goal as World Cup Wi-Fi passwords spilled in newspaper snap
Microsoft: NSA security fallout 'getting worse' ... 'not blowing over'
Friday 20th June 2014 13:54 GMT
Re: Duh!!!
Sorry, if you feel I'm bitching at you, or blaming you. Not at all. I really enjoy reading your comments. They are one of the reasons I read El Reg.
I completely agree about the short term concequences. There are very few, indeed. Right now politicians have a lot of unemployed and unhappy workers to worry about, overreach of the security agency of a foreign power is certainly not on top of the agenda. Espeshially if said foreign power is the only one between you and your big and agressive neighbor (like China or Russia).
Companies might think twice, about their IT profile, but in the long term the bean counters will always win.
As for the long term consequences, however I am quite sure there will be effects. A good brand image is nothing you easily repair. And countries are in many ways very similar to brands.
The NSA activities have damaged the US brand. Inhowfar this will have consequences, is open. It is certainly not a good thing.
Additionaly their activities pushed along the terrorist's agenda and helped them de-stabilizing our society. That is arguably the worst thing they could have done. Funny, that hardly anyone seems to mention this.
Friday 20th June 2014 04:58 GMT
Re: Duh!!!
@ Don Jefe,
There are short term repercussions that are probably not very bad, mostly due to no available alternatives, but in the long run there will certainly also be other effects.
The problem is not so much, that the people are afraid of US spying. I suppose most understand very well, that the direct impact on themselves or their company is rather low.
The problem is that there are enough people outside that thought of the US as a friend and now feel disgusted and betrayed. Usually people tend to forget bad experience rather quickly, but being betrayed by a supposed friend is something that causes a trauma that doesn't go away just like that.
The US government's reaction was pretty much the worst thing they could do. Obama's assurance that they only spy on non-US citizens, so everything is fine, was not exactly helping. The perception outside of the US is, that the US government doesn't give a damn. Ten years ago, the US were seen as a superpower and source of stability for the world. Now they are seen as a sinking ship. The ageing bully that hasn't yet understood, that his time is over. China sure is doing everything to strengthen that picture and the US seems not to notice it.
Oh, btw. this is also plays into the terrorists hands. They don't plant bombs to kill all westerners. They do it to fight our liberal, and open society, that they hate from the bottom of their hearts. The NSA's actions might have saved some people from terrorist attacks, but by doing what they did, they helped the terrorists agenda nicely along. Certainly far more than any successful attack could have.
You want to tell me, that all this will not have any consequences? Really?
Microsoft, insurance giant hitched to pitch home automation
Researchers warn of preloaded spyware in Android handsets
Wednesday 18th June 2014 07:07 GMT
Re: Malwarebytes for Android free
they just need to download one of the many "Android security" suites that are offered on various dodgy web pages and sideload it. I am sure it will also speed up the phone significantly.
You get what you pay for - and sometimes you get a bit more than you thought.
Internet of Things fridges? Pfft. So how does my milk carton know when it's empty?
Wednesday 18th June 2014 06:53 GMT 
I don't understand why bothering with fractions of items
If the beer can is in the fridge, the can is full. Per definition there are no half filled beer cans in the fridge. If there are no cans left, the fridge is obviously empty and needs urgent refilling.
People who put other stuff than beer cans into their fridge will probably not buy smart fridges, so all other items and states are irrelevant.
Once the can is taken out of the fridge, the beer should be put into a cold glass. That's where the freezer part is required.
'Cortana-gate' ruins Satya Nadella's Microsoft honeymoon
WORLD CUP SHOCK: England declared winner in 2-1 defeat to Italy
Elon Musk: Just watch me – I'll put HUMAN BOOTS on Mars by 2026
People will happily run malware if paid ONE CENT – new study
Wednesday 18th June 2014 05:38 GMT
Re: Double-edged sword this is
Isn't the "digital janitor" usually the engineer guy in the neighbourhood who will repair/clean up the messed up family PC for free, anyway? Otherwise there might be a nephew at hand who will be obliged to do it. (Said nephew might be part of the problem here, of course).
Wednesday 18th June 2014 05:33 GMT
So people are gullibe and will do anything for a profit?
This is really not new news, isn't it? Apart from forcing everyone in a tightly controlled walled garden, I don't see what could be done against it.
Actually it could be a business model for mining coins. Pay the people 1c per hour and burn their electricity for mining. Someone with a fast graphics card could be paid slightly more. 2c, say.
Perhaps it will become notorious enough to stop people from falling for this particular trap. Then again, there are probably enough people who don't pay for their electricity by themselves, so even this might not work.
Space station 'nauts will use URINE-FUELLED ESPRESSO MACHINE
IoT cup claims 'instant' identification of what's in it
Monday 16th June 2014 11:08 GMT
Re: Actually, this may have a use.
@YetAnotherLocksmith
food intolerances are a very tricky thing. You usually need several factors to come together, to trigger an attack, but when it happens you are in deep trouble. I once had one triggered by a fruit cocktail that was served for new year in the canteen. Took just ten minutes or so, until I (luckily) puked out most of it. It felt, like someone gave me a good beating in the stomach.
There might be some people who can be healed by applying allergen doses over time (desensitization), but that doesn't work in 100% of all cases. It certainly didn't work for me.
Anyway - I think there is a huge market for allergen testers. The cup in this article might just be a useless toy, but at least the technology is making progress.
Monday 16th June 2014 06:45 GMT
Re: Actually, this may have a use.
Given the severity of food allergies, I think this is nothing to make too much fun of. Having an anaphylactic reaction is not funny at all. It's a very miserable way to go. In severe cases, it is enough to eat something that just contains traces of something you are allergic against. Personally I would be quite happy, if someone would invent a sensor to check for allergens in food or drinks.
How practical is an electric car in London?
Japan's DOCOMO suggests wearable SIM cards
Friday 13th June 2014 05:32 GMT 
You just might offer your customers
Multiple SIMs, so they can use them in multiple devices. Much easier and already readily available. Alternatively a mobile router might do the job. You can get a data SIM only deal for reasonable money in Japan. Much cheaper than getting a contract from the AU/Docomo/Softbank pigopoly.
Oh, I see - that's probably part of the problem they are trying to solve...
MIGHTY SOLAR FLARES fail to DESTROY CIVILISATION. Yes!
Thursday 12th June 2014 06:34 GMT
Re: Coping with an X40
Given, how many meters of wiring could be found in a IBM 650 or other contemporary computers, they might be more susceptible to solar flares than modern machines. That said, it would be interesting to see, what happens if all flash memory on earth is wiped out at the same moment. (From a purely academic point of view, of course).
Is anyone still using PROMS these days? Hmm, my old C64 might still work. Perhaps it will be the supercomputer of the future...
HP starts a memristor-based space program to launch ... THE MACHINE
TrueCrypt hooked to life support in Switzerland: 'It must not die' say pair
Feds hunt 30-year-old alleged to be lord of Gameover botnet
Android is a BURNING 'hellstew' of malware, cackles Apple's Cook
Tuesday 3rd June 2014 04:39 GMT
Re: Really?
The reason they haven't (but have been able to run riot on Android)
can you back this up with some data? When has any Playstore App caused any riot (apart from twitter and facebook, but that's a different story) for any length of time?
Otherwise I would say you are spreading the usual FUD.
Oh, you can disable the app signature check and sideload unsafe apps? Big news. Every IOS Version up to now could be jailbroken. At some point of time there was even a jailbrake web page Jailbreakme , that unlocked IOS, using a drive by attack, exploiting various zero day vulnerabilities in Safari.
Not that I would say that IOS isn't generally safer than Android. But to keep it safe, they have to lock it down in a very aggressive manner, to the point where it gets unusable for some purposes.
Samsung in a TIZZY: OH PLEASE make apps for our Tizen Z mobe
Tuesday 3rd June 2014 03:26 GMT
What are these "Apps" you speak of? Do they make the phone work better?
Thanks to Amazon's "free app of the day" offer, I have some 250 android apps on my phone. About 4 to 5 I regularly use. Of these, one has recently been sent into update land by adding a stupid, unusable interface and annoying advertisement. (Similar to what happened to Skype on android). The others are games.
I don't see them making the phone work better. It sure works slower, however.
You've got two weeks to beat off Cryptolocker, GameoverZeus nasties
iDevice gizmo-snatcher Oleg... you must be taking the Pliss
Friday 30th May 2014 09:12 GMT
Re: WTF?
It was written in El Reg, so it must be the truth!
But seriously - the article mentioned specifically password guesses against iCloud accounts. It would be interesting to know which interface is affected. El Reg, can you give some more information here? If it is really true, that Apple had some interface open, that allowed unlimited password guesses, it would be unspeakably stupid.
Snowden never blew a whistle, US spy boss claims
How about printing your electricity?
Google TOO WHITE and MALE, says HR boss, looking in mirror
Still using e-mail? Marketers say you're part of DARK SOCIAL
Wednesday 28th May 2014 04:29 GMT
Re: Makes Complete Sense. I Think...
You could throw random ads at people and come up with better odds of a direct hit.
I absolutely agree. Often enough I read some article on El Reg about problems/failure/security cock up of product X of company Z and often enough, that product is exactly what they show in the ad box.
Oh, and if you read El Reg over a company network, than they usually get the country wrong.
In many cases random ads would be far more effective, for sure.
You've got Mail! But someone else is reading it in Outlook for Android
Tuesday 27th May 2014 09:11 GMT
... enforce access control on the files so only the app that stored the files can read them.
It's a trade-off between usability and security. Implementing access control like that means, you can't easily swap data between applications. Sensible data should IMHO be stored exclusively in the protected internal memory. Unfortunately that is often too small, due to stupid partitioning.
But yes, there should be definitely better control about which resources are accessible on a per app basis in Android. The Permission Manager that comes with newer Huawei phones is a step in the right direction. You can at least block basic stuff like contacts, internet access and your location from specific apps. Unfortunately blocking access to the SD card is still missing. Also cyanogenmod contains a similar feature. Let's hope smartphone makers smart up on security sooner or later.
Tuesday 27th May 2014 06:42 GMT 
...could access Outlook email attachments stored on the SD card for users who did not specifically encrypt card data or activate the private folders...
Unencrypted data on external FAT32 formatted mass storage can be easily accessed? The shock!
That said, the way Android partitions its internal memory into "internal" and some kind of fake "SD-card" storage is neither elegant nor helpful. It would be far better to have all internal memory "internal" and protected, and a real, physical SD card in the SD card slot, if mass storage is required.
Yes, I know, Google's own smartphones don't come with an SD card slot and some stupid apps insist on having SD card storage. But does that mean other maker's Android phones have to be crippled as well?
Tech that we want (but they never seem to give us)
Tuesday 27th May 2014 02:41 GMT
Re: Smart phones where *you* decide which Apps are on them.
FWIW:
Open "settings", select "Manage Apps", press the "All" button, search in the list for "facebook" (hint, it will be somewhere under "f"), select the app, press the "Disable" button - and there will be silence.
Yes, the app will still be on your phone, but it will be removed from all menus, not start anymore and not ask for updates.
A good part of Google's apps can be disabled in the same way. You might lose some functionality, but that's part of the deal, I suppose.
Now, what I would like to have is in the same area, but slightly different. Most smartphone makers go with Google's decision to split the internal storage in two parts, to avoid adding an SD card. It's an ugly, messy workaround for Google's decision not to add an SD card slot on it's hardware and makes no sense whatsoever on a phone with such a slot. I would like them to stop this. Stop messing up the partitioning of 500$ hardware just to save some cents on a pre-installed SD card! You hear me SAMSUNG, SONY, HTC, HUAWEI, ...?
No? - Well, it was worth a try.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
