* Posts by Dan McIntyre

108 publicly visible posts • joined 14 Nov 2012

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ACLU sues America's border cops: Tell us everything about these secret search teams targeting travelers

Dan McIntyre

"Land of the free" ???

Audible hasn't even launched its AI-powered book subtitles and publishers have already fired off a sueball

Dan McIntyre

Deaf People and Audio Books

I've read a couple of comments here along the lines of "deaf people won't buy audio books".

As a Deaf person, and a long time Audible subscriber, I can assure you that is nonsense. Deafness is more of a spectrum than a simple yes-you-can or no-you-can't and the vast majority of Deaf people do have some hearing ability.

For myself I use 2 hearing aids, but I do enjoy listening to audio books whilst in the shower or on a long car journey.

Just saying...

Ex-staffer sues UK's DWP, claims superior blabbed confidential medical info

Dan McIntyre

Hardly surprising from the DWP. When I worked at NHS Connecting for Health many moons ago I had the same thing done to me by the head of service and other members of the senior management team as well as HR - one HR person was even emailing confidential details about me to her brother for crying out loud.

They're all as bad as each other.

Facebook flashes ramped-up face-recog tech. Try not to freak out

Dan McIntyre

Personally not bothered by this. In fact I'd love to see some photos in particular if it were possible - back in October my wheelchair and I took a gondola ride in Venice and hundreds of people on bridges and alongside the canals were snapping away at me - I'd love to see those pictures.

Opportunity rover survives Martian winter for eighth time

Dan McIntyre

Pretty awesome.

Google touts Babel Fish-esque in-ear real-time translators. And the usual computer stuff

Dan McIntyre

https://forums.theregister.co.uk/user/76911/

Well played sir!

Essentially invisible: Android big-daddy Andy Rubin's hypetastic mobe 'flops in first month'

Dan McIntyre

Why do US companies seem to think that the world stops at the US borders?

Not just companies. I'm a big Tim McGraw fan (american country singer/songwriter) and last year he had a "world" tour - which consisted of a list of American cities.

Itching to stuff iOS 11 on your iPhone? You may want to hold off for a bit

Dan McIntyre

Re: Installed fine on all my devices. Seems a bit snappier too in operation

Have an upvote just for this:

“They were once men. Then Jobs the deceiver gave to them iPhones of great shine. Blinded by their greed, they took them without question, one by one falling into darkness. Now they are slaves to his will. They are the Fanbois, Phonewraiths, neither living nor dead. At all times they feel the presence of the iPhone, drawn to the power of Cupertino.”

Boffin wins (Ig) Nobel prize asking if cats can be liquid

Dan McIntyre

According to the Babypod website the product is currently priced at "0,00 GBP"

123-Reg customers outraged at automatic .UK domain registration

Dan McIntyre

Well I'm pretty happy with it - I got an email this morning to tell me they're registering danielmcintyre.uk automatically for me because I hold danielmcintyre.co.uk and this is a freebie for the first 2 years. After that it's like what? About a tenner a year if that? Man some people are only happy when they have something to whinge about.

This article has been deleted

Dan McIntyre

Oh those poor police officers, forced to expose themselves to that conduct. You can see why the investigation was protracted - clearly they needed time for counselling...

Connect at mine free Wi-Fi! I would knew what I is do! I is cafe boss!

Dan McIntyre

Re: Lightbulb moment? Blue = Intelligence!

Blue is an almost universally liked color.

Nope. Can't stand blue. Or green. They are harsh, hard and sharp, cold colours.

Seriously, friends. You suck at driving. Get a computer behind the wheel to save your life

Dan McIntyre

Re: Another way of looking at automatic braking.

Cars are more and more a lifestyle choice and not a necessity.

You tell that to the thousands of disabled people out there for whom public transport is completely inaccessible...

Raising minimum wage will raise something else: An army of robots taking away folks' jobs

Dan McIntyre

Re: Robots don't pay taxes...

Thats an easy question that was answered 280 years ago by Jonathon Swift. in his pamphlet "A modest Proposal". If you haven't read it, its here: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1080 and is quite a short and easy read.

Oh my goodness!

Nosey ex-NHS staffer slapped with fine for illegally peeking at medical records

Dan McIntyre

Think she got off rather lightly tbh. I work in an NHS trust and we have it drilled into us from the start the consequences of using patient data inappropriately, or even not reporting when it's suspected other people may be doing so.

This woman got off extremely lightly with a slapped wrist and fine, although she's probably killed her midwifery career now as well.

Hell desk to user: 'I know you're wrong. I wrote the software. And the protocol it runs on'

Dan McIntyre

Re: Hilarious!

His software complies with the protocol RFCs *exactly*.

So does Volvo's software for their DAB receivers, but because it complies with the standards exactly and no other manufacturer's does, it also tags a continuous stream of the letter K onto the end of every station name in DAB, which is annoying. And which other manufacturers manage not to do.

My point is that just because something is compliant, doesn't make it ideal.

Geek's Guide to Britain – now a book. Permission to geek out granted

Dan McIntyre

Just ordered a copy. Off to the Falkirk Wheel in 3 weeks time and might try to get to other locations mentioned too...

Brace yourselves, Virgin Media prices are going up AGAIN, people

Dan McIntyre

Unfortunately I'm lumbered with them as it's the only way to get decent internet access in my area, and I support a hospital out-of-hours from home.

Anything coming through a phone socket in my area gives a maximum of 1mbps, and there are still no plans to put fibre in place.

Their TV and phone service is dire though. And customer service is appalling.

Everything you never knew about mail: The Postal Museum opens

Dan McIntyre

Might have to pay that a visit. Ideally I'd like to do all the sites mentioned in the geeks guide to britain series but physical constraints (I use a wheelchair) might prevent that.

However, I have made a start! During the august bank holiday I am paying the Falkirk wheel a visit and have a boat trip booked. Going to combine it with a ride on the Bo'ness - wherever it is (I forget) railway and a visit to the Kelpies too.

Reg reader turns Geek's Guides to Britain into Geek's Map of Britain

Dan McIntyre

Seeing this has also reminded me I wanted to go see the Falkirk Wheel when i first read the piece - I've just booked a boat trip there and a hotel for the August bank holiday weekend.

El Reg - good for tourism!

Dan McIntyre

Top work that man!

Reborn Nokia phones biz loses its head

Dan McIntyre

I've pre-ordered a 3310 from Amazon. Expected delivery is first week in August. Retro baby!

Jesus walks away after 7,000lb pipe van incident

Dan McIntyre

"If he was sitting in another seat and driving he would have been the real Jesus.

What a peculiar comment."

Not really. I can drive my car either from my drivers' seat or the front passenger seat thanks to the placement of my hand controls.

Don't panic, but your Bitcoins may just vanish into the ether next month

Dan McIntyre

Does anyone actually use Bitcoin for anything legitimate?

BOFH: That's right. Turn it off. Turn it on

Dan McIntyre

So so true.

Fresh cotton underpants fix series of mysterious mainframe crashes

Dan McIntyre

I use a wheelchair and often spend time in hotels with various types of carpet. Most of these hotels have metal controls on the lifts so you'll often see me tapping at the wall around the controls before touching them as I hate the discharge that happens if I go directly for the metal button.

Has gotten me some strange looks.

Samsung releases 49-inch desktop monitor with 32:9 aspect ratio

Dan McIntyre

Just out of interest, how does a 49" screen fit into something that "measures 47.4 x 15 x 20.7 inches"?

Jailed fraudster admits running same cold-caller con from behind bars

Dan McIntyre

Getting phones (and even keys and other items) into a prison is easy. Just get a wheelchair.

Seriously, I am a wheelchair user and a few years back had a friend in prison who I visited on a regular basis. I have a zippered pouch on the front of my chair which hangs just behind my knees and is large enough to hold my mobile, keys, some medications and catheters and other essentials.

I was never searched when entering the prison for visits and always had my mobile and car keys with me. I suspect many other supposedly secure locations will be similarly lax in checking people in wheelchairs.

Dark-web pedo jailed after FBI and co use vid trick to beat privacy tech

Dan McIntyre

Re: So the FBI ...

As far as I'm concerned he waived all rights to protection the minute he started interfering with kids.

He is a sick individual and deserves whatever punishment is meted out to him behind bars and as another commentard has said I'm not terribly concerned with his wellbeing.

I do know that perverts such as this chap are usually segregated from the general prison population but mistakes do happen and they do mingle sometimes.

Then the fun begins.

Drunk user blow-dried laptop after dog lifted its leg over the keyboard

Dan McIntyre

I once spilled coffee in a Kindle DX (was a large American market only Kindle with built in text to speech and storage/speakers for music) whilst waiting at a car dealer for my car.

When I got home I stripped it down and cleaned it out and it worked fine afterwards.

NASA agent faces heat for 'degrading' moon rock sting during which grandmother wet herself

Dan McIntyre

Ah land of the free.

Hahahahahahahaha! Free. Ha!

Parcel bods Hermes become latest London drone delivery droogs

Dan McIntyre

So do these bots come with a flashing blue light on the front and a sound chip that can make a "boom boom boom" sound....?

It's just BigTrak all over again.

Verizon's bogus bills tanked my credit score, claims sueball slinger

Dan McIntyre

Not Just Murica

Doesn't just happen in Murica - I've had the same from Vodafone here in Blighty.

Ended up having to get the communications ombudsman to demand that they remove the record, remove all charges from my account and pay me £100 in compensation.

Caused by months of errors by Vodafone staff on my account.

Mediaeval Yorkshirefolk mutilated, burned t'dead to prevent reanimation

Dan McIntyre

Thanks Reg

This story has made me want to visit - the place is practically on my doorstep.

Head of US military kit-testing slams F-35, says it's scarcely fit to fly

Dan McIntyre

@Anonymous South African Coward - thanks for the ACC story link - read it and enjoyed immensely.

Coppers 'persistently' breach data protection laws with police tech

Dan McIntyre

Many years ago I was in a role where I processed housing benefit claims. As part of this I had access to the DWP (DHSS as it was back then) systems and was subject to their rules on accessing information.

The system was set up so that, at any point and at random, it would do a spot check. It would not allow further access to records until the operator had collected all paperwork and details relating to the claim in question and presented them to a senior manager as justification for accessing that record.

If we couldn't do this (as in if we were just checking up on people we knew for example) then there were severe consequences.

Dan McIntyre

This isn't really news.

Vodafone to bring 2,100 customer service jobs in-house

Dan McIntyre

As with G R Goslin above, I am a current customer of Vodafone who ended up getting the ombudsman involved over a series of errors on my account (which had 5 numbers on it) and extremely poor customer service and complaints handling.

'Password rules are bullsh*t!' Stackoverflow Jeff's rage overflows

Dan McIntyre

Re: 99 ice cream loving honeybadgers ate my hamster!

Some people's memories are THAT bad (or worse, you have to keep telling them THE SAME THING every single day).

Indeed. I have young-onset Alzheimers. I am one of those people.

BUT - I have never yet forgotten any of my passwords. And I use different ones for every service I use, both personal and work related.

Iconic Land Rover Defender may make a comeback by 2019

Dan McIntyre

Re: Why did people like the defender?

If the thing breaks down in England you're fine, can't imagine trying to get a modern off roader repaired in some countries.

You might be surprised. I have travelled various parts of the world including some we'd refer to as 3rd world areas in various vehicles ranging from a Suzuki SJ to a 1938 Argson tricycle and in some of the more obscure places repairs and parts have been easier to obtain than here in the UK for a mainstream car. Better customer service too in most cases as a lot of garages are family run, small and friendly.

I've managed to get clutch bearings for a Suzuki SJ in deepest darkest Russia and a spare wheel and clutch rod, plus welding gear, very early on a Sunday morning, for an Argson. Try doing that in the UK with your Focus or Astra or whatever.

Redmond's on fire, your 365 is terrified: Microsoft email outage en masse

Dan McIntyre

My MS accounts (Hotmail and One Drive) have both been working fine all day.

Nintendo Switch orders delayed: Dun dun dun... dundundun dundundun dadada!

Dan McIntyre

Not be unable?

"...disappointed thumb-twitchers complaining they will not be unable to experience the much-anticipated new Zelda..."

So they will be able?

Connected car in the second-hand lot? Don't buy it if you're not hack-savvy

Dan McIntyre

Re: Everything old is new again

I rode old British motorcycles as main transport for many years, and the vibration would routinely kill speedometers.

I rode a 1938 Argson tricycle across the Alps in 2011 and found the same problem - the speedo first stopped working and then dropped off altogether eventually. Minor issue though compared to the chain stretching, the idler shaft snapping halfway up a swiss mountain on a sunday etc etc.

BTW, we managed to find a garage on that mountain, open and they let us use their welding gear to fix the idler.

Virgin Media swallows 215,000 new fibre customers in Blighty

Dan McIntyre

Been with them for almost 2 years. Was with Sky for almost a decade before that and Sky's customer service is in a different galaxy - Virgin's is appalling and their engineers lie to say they've turned up to appointments that they never arrive for.

I'm only with them because in my area there's no fibre broadband available via anything from a BT socket and 1.5mb/s is the maximum speed, with no plans to introduce fibre so cable is the only way to get a decent internet connection.

And the internet connection is decent - I regularly see around 161mb/s though their phone and TV services are dire. I mostly use my Amazon fire sticks for content when I want to and rarely watch TV anyway.

Vinyl, filofaxes – why not us too, pleads Nokia

Dan McIntyre

I had a number of Nokias back in the day - 5110, 6110, 6230 and 6310i but the daddy was the 9000i communicator which was my first ever internet access, via Pipex dial up at 9600. Ahhhhh, those were the days....

IBM's Marissa Mayer moment: Staff ordered to work in one of 6 main offices – or face the axe

Dan McIntyre

What do IBM even do anymore?

'Grey technology' should be the new black

Dan McIntyre

Nice to see this kind if piece on the Reg.

As a 40-year-old disabled man (physically and mentally) I myself use a few pieces of this grey tech in order to be able to interact with the world and to work (IT support for a hospital).

What I'd like to see is the costs reduced in line with other tech hardware and software. Seems that the moment you add words like "assistive" or "disability" to anything that's a green light to up the cost 10x or more.

As an example I use a screen reader and magnifier called Zoomtext. It has a host of fantastic features that are really useful and make working at a PC much easier for me but it costs an absolute fortune.

The top doc, the FBI, the Geek Squad informant – and the child porn pic that technically wasn't

Dan McIntyre

This isn't new. Here in the UK a former rock star named Gary Glitter was caught out about 20 years ago when he took his PC to PC World for repair and kiddie porn was found on it.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/517604.stm

From the article:

"The charges came after a member of staff spotted the material on Glitter's computer, in for repair at PC World in Bristol.

Mr John Royce, QC, told the court that a technician tried to correct the fault and in order to see if he was successful had to look into a file. But what he found, said the QC, was "disturbing".

A police sergeant arrested Glitter when he returned to collect his computer.

An initial examination of the computer revealed that it stored "the most appalling images" of very young children engaged in most humiliating sexual acts, said the QC.

The examinations, said Mr Royce, revealed firstly that he had downloaded the material and secondly "that it was carefully, deliberately and enthusiastically done"."

Far as I'm concerned they deserve everything they get. I hope to hell this nonce doesn't get off with it on a technicality - please tell me America isn't really *that* stupid?

Around 1.4 million people have sub-10Mbps speeds - Ofcom

Dan McIntyre

Hahahah 10Mbps?? Here in Rotherham you can't even get close to that through a BT line - my particular suburb has a max of 1.5Mbps and no plans for fibre.

Hence why I went with Virgin Media. I mean I hate them as a company and their customer service is abysmal but I get 161Mbps on a regular basis at the moment.

Microsoft quietly emits patch to undo its earlier patch that broke Windows 10 networking

Dan McIntyre

I'm glad I did turn mobile back on. It's lost DHCP and is now downloading yet another update over a 4G connection.

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