* Posts by Mark 85

12880 publicly visible posts • joined 22 Nov 2012

$67M in bitcoin stolen as hacking typhoon lashes Hong Kong's Bitfinex

Mark 85

Re: "suddenly become vapor..."

A hell of a lot of Bitcoin trades are drug dealer / illegal-arms exchanges that are high risk anyway...

Ransomeware probably should also be included on that list...

US Air Force declares F-35 'combat-ready'

Mark 85

Re: IOC not FOC

I've heard several different versions of what he supposedly said. It was in response to a test against F-16's and F-18's. Those planes never saw the F-35 coming in on their radar (supposedly). Only when the F-35 turned on it's transponder did they know where the F-35 was.

So... maybe it's ready for something or almost ready for something or maybe there's a deadline tic box on a PowerPoint that needed ticking?

Crocodile well-done-dee: Downed Down Under chap roasted by exploding iPhone

Mark 85
Flame

Re: Obvious Risk

At least is wasn't in a front pocket. A fall, a hard bounce, a misplaced kick by some irritated at you.... It would lend a whole new meaning to "well-cooked wienerschnitzel".

Mobile banking for the poor has flopped in India

Mark 85
Coat

To be cynical, I guess its harder to scrape cash off the top if you just buy an already working system, then if you "develop" a brand new one...

Also they need to employ all those graduates of the their "tech" universities... The ones left in India after the others have high-tailed it to jobs in other countries....

Icon ------------------> For those lucky enough to get employment outside of India even as an outsourced developer.

Jovian moon Io loses its atmosphere every day

Mark 85
Mushroom

Re: Sorry, can't resist.

Should we send it a ship loaded with Beano?

Don't want to vote for Clinton or Trump? How about this woman who says Wi-Fi melts kids' brains?

Mark 85

Re: The one thing all the media, and this one too, won't be telling you...

Based on your paragraph #2... that's where I sit. No my mind isn't made up except to reject the first two numpties. As for the two popping their heads up now... it's toss up for the entertainment value. It kind of reminds me of listening to Spiro Agnew or watching Gerald Ford...

I do believe there's a bunch of folks taking a hard look at their choice between the first two and wondering "what the hell were we thinking?". Or at least, I would hope they are.

FTR, my state is so late in the primary process, the vote itself is pretty much meaningless.

Mark 85

Re: #FeelTheJohnson

I totally agree with you on this. I've been watching both front runners and "meh.."....WTF? I wouldn't vote for either one even if they were the only choice. Since we don't have a "none of the above" button... Johnson seems the better choice.

White House loves drones

Mark 85

I don't know whether to roll my eyes and say " a ton of money for what?" or to be afraid, very afraid once governmental departs start using them.

Windows 10: Happy with Anniversary Update?

Mark 85

Re: And how does that make it a "service?

Re: And how does that make it a "service?

RE: "It helps to look at as in when a Bull 'services' a Cow, then it makes perfect sense."

Ahhh. So sex is a bad thing? I must be doing it wrong.

If you're of the bovine species, you're doing fine. But if you are of the bovine species, why are you here unless you work in marketing that is?

Mark 85

Re: Bing had better 'techy' results for me, than Google for the first time this week.

I agree in principle but there are times when you need to run a fix and aren't sure where it 's located.

Mark 85

Interesting...

Little to no mention about security but I note the sponsored like is to a security site... "Ins and Outs of Ransomware".

Pity about the telemetry and Cortana and all the "cloudiness".

Black Hats control Jeep's steering, kill brakes

Mark 85

Re: Yeah, maybe

Uh-yeah.. not a problem until someone decides to make your Jeep turn a hard right.... off the cliff.

Windows 10 grabs 22 per cent desktop market share in a year

Mark 85

Re: hey I'm a "0.0015%"-er

Also, were these unique computers? Or just "total hits"?

Therein is the problem with any of these statistics. For the two firms that provide numbers El Reg uses, one also has to ask "how many websites do they use for data gathering?".

VC vampire: Peter Thiel wants to live forever

Mark 85
Meh

First cryrogenics and now this.

I guess the very rich don't believe in the words of Ben Franklin: "in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” Since most of the very wealthy don't seem to pay taxes, I'm sure they think they can escape death.

US state sues Comcast for $100m in row over 'worthless' repair plans

Mark 85

A mere fine?

No restitution for customers? No jail time for the board? If you or I did this, we would face both these penalties in addition to a fine, but being a corporation, they basically get a slap on the hands and get away with it. Corporate fraud is approved somewhere and ultimately, it's the C-Suite and the board that's responsible. Maybe if jail time were an option for the upper manglement, this would become a thing of the past.

You think Donald Trump is insecure? Check out his online store

Mark 85

Well, why not...

He outsources almost everything overseas...maybe the website was outsourced there also.

Windows 10 still free, even the Anniversary Update, if you're crass

Mark 85

Re: All of which begs the question:

Would you wish Windows 10 on a cripple?

I wouldn't wish Win 10 on anyone. Ok... maybe one group: management as many of them are ethics crippled.

Mark 85

Re: Twisting in the wind

Because 11 is one louder than 10?

I thought it was logarithmic and thus a whole lot lower than one.

Edit: Oh.. volume knob not db.... nevermind.

Microsoft grabs employment guns, aims at British sales units

Mark 85

Re: Here's a thought

I think it's the last sentence of your post. But there also seems to be a revolving door policy... Booted from MS.. goto Cisco... booted from Cisco, goto HP.. etc. etc. Funny thing is, the people I've known that do this never, ever, retrain on "new tech"... they just sell it.

All roads lead to Rome as Irish seminary gripped by Grindr scandal

Mark 85

The church in question demands it of their priests, nuns, and monk types so they will be more "like Jesus". A quick look at the saints is an interesting read unto itself.

OTOH, this is the same church that doesn't believe in birth control and sex is only for procreation... which gets the number of members higher.

Nigerian cops cuff cybercrime suspect, reveal you don't need 419 to make $60m

Mark 85
Facepalm

Re: Both are currently on bail?

So, "fewer" doesn't mean they still won't run.

Pokémon Go tragedy strikes

Mark 85
Facepalm

Re: Pokemon Gone? - If only...

Nah.. it's a Monday morning Urinating Contest with the contestants going for distance and accuracy.

Disclaimer... I don't play it and have no desire to, but it is an interesting phenomena none the less. I have friends of my age (late 60's) and I think it's great that they are playing. Oh wait.. I just peed on the lawn.

Russia reports RAT scurrying through govt systems, chewing data

Mark 85

Re: After reading the description of the malware...

Or everyone's favorite scapegoat.. North Korea.

Mickey Mouse Club had Mickey Mouse security: Disney's Playdom forum pours out passwords

Mark 85

Re: Oh, good ...

Where did we fuck up?

We let lawyers, accountants, and manglement tell us how to do security. Come to think of it.... those 3 groups are responsible for a lot of wrong things.

Cats, dogs starve as web-connected chow chute PetNet plays dead

Mark 85

@Dwarf -- Re: Another negative for IoT

They've had auto-feeders for years for pets. (Yeah.. farms have had them also). And this long before IoT or even the internet. Why buy and then keep paying? If your WAN connection goes down... doggie dies.

One of the fun things about having a pet is feeding time....

Mark 85
WTF?

If you have to rely on the Internet to feed your pet, you shouldn't have a pet. Sadly, there's a lot of owners who are merely owners and not a bud with their pet. It's a possession that they haven't a clue about.

One of the pure joys in life is when I feed our dog. You'd think she won the lottery or something. And when she's done, she comes and lays on my feet or asks to sit on my lap.

Give .gay to the gays, roars exiting ombudsman

Mark 85
Devil

Re: just curious

Congress.

What's ordered in Vegas, doesn't stay in Vegas? $6.7m of printer ink 'stolen by office worker'

Mark 85

Re: accounting 101 anyone

How many of us have worked with those, including purchasing, that when we needed something, they ordered a truckload of it... "just to make sure we have enough"? And then we find out that everyone up the food chain agrees that it's a good idea?

Dem-owned-crats: Now its congressional committee is hacked

Mark 85

Re: Real Problem?

In their minds, it's the padlock on the door to the server room.

Kaspersky so very sorry after suggesting its antivirus will get you laid

Mark 85

Re: I wonder...

Or maybe the other way around... geek lady with a line of admiring guys? Given the way the world is, any thing even remotely similar will offend someone. Best to stay with inanimate objects in ads... except for the beer commercials and maybe the 'Old Spice' label about "your grandfather"...

It's time for a discussion about malvertising

Mark 85

Pushback

Perhaps the publishers (site owners, etc.) need to push back on the advertising networks. There's a reason folks us adblockers and scriptblockers. There's a reason for readers not clicking on ads. It's not about "relevancy" or any of those other buzzwords... It's fear and annoyance. Fear of the cyber crim and malware. And annoyance by intrusive ads that take over the whole screen. Then there's ones that when you manage to get rid of it, another takes it's place until you finally click out of the site you went to read.

We users are mad as hell.. maybe the publishers need to get mad as hell. The advertisers seem to see themselves as the victims here and not the cause and that's just plain BS.

Microsoft axes 2,850 more Windows Phone, sales staff – a week after Justin Timberlake sang on stage for them

Mark 85
Meh

Re: Oh, Yeah!

The downside is, I doubt seriously that those about to be canned were present in Miami. Most don't work there and somehow I can't see MS chartering bunch of planes or buses to truck the masses in. So basically it was schmooze affair for the managlement and those located there.

Someone (cough, cough VeriSign) just gave ICANN $135m for the rights to .web

Mark 85

Re: Woah!

It does smell like the "fix" was in before the auction began, doesn't it? Maybe ICANN is taking the money to get them through the upcoming lean times after the next bubble burst?

Maybe in a couple of months, someone needs to take a quick look around the parking lot and see how many new Ferraris, etc. are there?

Don't use a VPN in United Arab Emirates – unless you wanna risk jail and a $545,000 fine

Mark 85

Re: Let's see if it affects business

The odds are it's about terrorism. Probably won't get used much if at all against corporates and contractors. The whole country seems to be contractors as I guess the locals have so much money they hire someone else to do the work.

Mark 85

Re: Legitimate use of VPN fine?

I think you hit it... They should have clarified "its". Perhaps the translation is faulty but I doubt it.

Tesla autopilot driver 'was speeding' moments before death – prelim report

Mark 85

Re: They can tell the driver didn't see the truck...

Maybe it's me... but with ABS, I've not seen skid marks. Damn tough to lock the brakes/wheels with that system.

Mark 85

@Darryl -- Re: Not an AI

. because a few hundred Tesla "drivers" can't be bothered to pay attention to where they're going?

Why yes.... the 99% pay dearly for the 1% to have nice things.

Airbus doesn't just make aircraft – now it designs drone killers

Mark 85

Re: Illegal in all western countries?

Given the problem with "drones" by those fighting forest fires and wild fires, I think the fire fighters might be one of the target markets.

ESA's ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter blasts itself closer to the Red Planet

Mark 85

Re: Why is this the only thing we care about?

I think it's a stepping-stone approach. We've landed (hard and bounced but landed) on a comet and walked on the moon. Both, with no atmosphere and rather lifeless. We can do that. But Mars has an atmosphere (ok.. not much... granted) and gravity.

Mars gives us an opportunity to fine tune the landings and the exploration vehicles. Other than Mars, the only other chance for finding life* seems to be outside the solar system which will take some pretty extreme engineering and project life (time) to accomplish.

If we don't discover life, I'd like to think we want to find a planet that can support our life form. Finding is one thing, getting there and landing is another.

*Life as we define it. Might be life elsewhere that's not carbon based.

Flame Canada, flame Canada ... Botched govt payroll computers spew smoke ahead of probe

Mark 85

between March and July of 2015: employee names, pay, and personal record identifier (PRI) codes were left encrypted on a test system.

Same for this one... encrypted on a test system... who had access and the keys?

Russian spy aircraft are flying over Britain – and the MoD's cool with it

Mark 85

Re: Vaguely reminds me of the US-USSR space deal

That was some good thinking on both their parts. However, it wouldn't have done the astronauts/cosmonauts any good if they had landed in certain parts of the world and been shot on sight for being part of an alien invasion.

Here WeGo! Google Maps rival drops Maps branding

Mark 85

Re: Hmmm

I do think I see a Pokémon. Will that help?

Flight sim records show MH370 captain practiced 'flight' near search area

Mark 85

Re: My personal contribution to "odd" flight sim behavior

No, but if you turn the speaker's volume up, it will make an helluva "bang". Depending on the simulator's options of course.

Did the Russians really hack the DNC or is this another Sony Pictures moment? You decide

Mark 85

Re: @Big John -- Tu use Hillary's own words...

That's true, but it's been a lot negative at this point . I forgot about Johnson's first election in Texas, and Chicago, and.... all the rest which should have been mentioned in regard to the DNC candidate.

Did Donald Trump really just ask Russia to hack the US govt? Yes, he did

Mark 85
Thumb Up

@Joe User

Upvote for that. Spot on!!!

Mark 85

Re: ..."got to admire the 'chutzpah'" --

Let's give him a bit of credit... he's a media darling because he's a walking soundbite. The public knows him as the "you're fired" guy and either don't remember or don't know his past history.

I won't go into the Hillary as it's not relevant to this. I'm equally disgusted by her also.

Ex-Citibank IT bloke wiped bank's core routers, will now spend 21 months in the clink

Mark 85
Meh

Re: Pah!

True... but then his co-worker(s) wouldn't have received the email about his sacrifice and "taking one for the team".

He reminds of certain wrong doers who have to upload pics, vids, etc. about their wrong-doing. This guy doesn't even qualify as a PFY.

Church organist nabbed for playing glory hole in excelsis

Mark 85
Devil

Re: Right tool for the right job

Also carry a packet of honey from one of the fast food joints. After the clamping, squirt some honey on it to draw some flies and maybe ants. Then go outside, have a cup of coffee, maybe a cigarette or two and then call the cops.

However, in the US atmosphere lately, one could probably be sued for using the vice grips... so maybe, clamp, honey, and leave....

Icon... I'm feeling a bit evil today....

Mark 85
Coffee/keyboard

Re: Dear. God.

You sir, owe me a keyboard. But have one upvote only because I can't give you more.