* Posts by Mark 85

12880 publicly visible posts • joined 22 Nov 2012

UK taxpayers should foot £2bn or more to adopt Snoopers' Charter, says Inquiry

Mark 85

So what else is new? Has there ever been a well thought out, well defined project coming from the government? Or any government? I know that the US hasn't had any in a long time.. I think Apollo was the last one.

App for homeless says walking on water is the way to reach services

Mark 85

Re: It is just me?

There's quite a few (not a lot, I'd say) of homeless here in the US with cheapie phones filled with a card bought at Wally World. Some shelters hand them out at various times. Plus there's wifi hotspots around where they check mail, chat with whoever, etc. Most of the ones I've heard about with them are young and use it to stay in touch with friends and also look for a job. I know of one young lady (23 or so) who used it heavily for job hunting. She's working where I do out in the call center and has turned her life around. For some, it's a good thing. For others, not so much. There's a downside such as the druggies using them to score.

Having said that.... the app still looks to be crap.

Chip company FTDI accused of bricking counterfeits again

Mark 85

But how does one know that they have a product with a counterfeit chip in it? I suspect that returning it the store/sales point or manufacturer will have no impact. A conundrum from all sides. Bricking and screwing with the device it's in is not an appropriate solution. A pop-up box on the screen might do it, but still, what's the user/consumer's recourse?

Facebook tells Belgian government its use of English invalidates privacy case

Mark 85

Re: Go home Yanks

The US isn't monolingual, no matter what the citizens think. There's Spanish signs and speakers everywhere, products come with multiple languages on the instructions. In some places you'd be hard pressed to tell if you were in the USA or one of the Asian countries from the signage.

But... most USAians would deny the multilingual bit anyway.

Mark 85

Re: Schoolyard

Reminds me of the old phrase: "If you can't dazzle with brilliance, baffle with bullshit.". In this case, it appears to be a delaying tactic, something American lawyers are very good at. Confuse, shovel some bull, and delay the inevitable for a long period of time. Oh... and the hours are all billable. Perhaps the next challenge will be on the size of the paper used by the Court's printers as not being standard and accessible. Who knows? The longer the final verdict is delayed, the bigger FB's bottom line.

UK Home Sec's defence of bulk spying: We 'found' a paedo (we already knew about)

Mark 85

Re: So with *all * that time to prepare and the whole of the Home Office to help her out.

It would seem that if this were the corporate world, with that rate of "return on investment" that the departments engaging in this would be made redundant really fast. I shudder to think how much money has been tossed into the drainpipe for this. Not just in your country, but mine also (US).

It would be interesting to see a cost breakdown and if perhaps the money (yours and my taxes to our governments) could be better spent.

HSBC online banking outage: Moneymen are 'still under attack'

Mark 85

Re: Why HSBC?

I'm guessing, and it really is just a wild-assed guess, that this is related to the attacks recently on Janet, ProtonMail, etc. Each attack has been a bit stronger and the target more meaningful to the general population than the previous. The thing in common with them and makes me think this has been the location of the targets.

SpaceX breaks capsule 'chute world record

Mark 85

Re: But why are they all red and white?

Simple... visibility. What color would you have them?

The monitor didn't work but the problem was between the user's ears

Mark 85

@Ben Tasker -- Re: Old IT joke

The operational reasons of making sure the office, DC and path to the DC stay live are obvious, but the explanation is somewhat undermined when it's pointed out that your coffee machine is plugged into one of the "essential" sockets.

Coffee is essential in the US. Tea in Blighty. Anyone who says otherwise knows nothing about what actually flows in techie veins... besides beer, that is.

Mark 85

Re: Office nasty

And putting a small piece of tape over the LED on the mouse.

Mark 85
Pint

Re: Old IT joke

Yes it is, but Chilli deserves a beverage of choice for getting this one past the editors, etc.

Major Hollywood studio eyes Paint Drying sequel

Mark 85

Re: Paint Drying 2: Dry Hard

I'm afraid that one will need a bit more than 23 hours. It was a bit tacky at the end.

31 nations sign data-sharing pact to tax multinationals

Mark 85

Re: I note that America...

I'm not surprised by this since most of the multinationals based in the US have been hiding stuff from the US tax man for decades, Taxes in the US are main reason for them being "multinationals" in the first place as far as shuffling money around. Hiding the money from every other country is an art form.

I also note that a couple of biggie tax havens, the Bahamas and the Caymans, aren't signed up either. If they were to sign, things might change a bit. But it is a start.

Investors furious that Amazon only made $482m last quarter

Mark 85
Alert

Well, you know how investors are "That's it? We expected more.". So the company serves the results on a silver platter: "What? Where's the good china?". Investors always want more and they want it now. Not in a year, not in a month.... NOW!!!!

NSA’s top hacking boss explains how to protect your network from his attack squads

Mark 85

Re: Sound advice

I'm taking this a bit further. His advice is solid. I believe that. But there's enough people who will say "he's from NSA and lying" and then promptly do the opposite.

'Critical' Israel power grid attack was just boring ransomware

Mark 85

Re: In other words...

I thought the link actually was: "fuck me and anyone else that's on the same network/servers"?

TalkTalk CuffCuffs 'ScamScam CrimCrims'

Mark 85

I'm not sure who is worse off...

You lads in Blighty or us in the States. You have competition (supposedly good) and we don't (supposedly good). The catch is, we're all getting screwed and never getting kissed.

Mark 85
Devil

Re: Zero Tolerance

That's for their side of the call center.. across the aisle is the "Microsoft Support Call Center".

Mark 85

Re: (Yes,its a big fat lie)

But yet they will give all this information to an appropriate (or inappropriate) agency. I too, smell BS from them... along with every other Telco.

Cops hate encryption but the NSA loves it when you use PGP

Mark 85

Re: I think I'm missing something...

Which means that to sort it out, they have to look at the body/content of the email... All this doublespeak is getting bit messy.

Mark 85
Black Helicopters

Did I read that last bit right?

Rogers came out not being against encryption? What gives... ? The article points out the "goodness" of us using it as attracts attention. If everyone does it, then everyone gets "noted"? There's more to his statement then meets the eyes.

Icon ---> Closest thing to a tinfoil hat

Apparently we have to give customers the warm fuzzies ... How the heck do we do that?

Mark 85

That can't be it... it's too simple for the corporate mind to behold.

Would you like fraud with that? Burger chain giant Wendy's 'hacked'

Mark 85

What's surprising to me here in the States is that probably half the places I go into have the "chip and PIN" type devices and of those, only about 25% are working in chip mode.

<sarc> I'm just sure that the companies without them working or not installed yet, take our information (CCs, etc.) very seriously.</sarc>

Ban internet anonymity – says US Homeland Security official

Mark 85

Re: Feck Off

If one reads the articles coming out of the EU, the UK and just about every other country, they're all pulling this crap. Not sure who's leading who here but it is more widespread than just in the US. Our masters want to know everything...

I'm surprised we're not all living in glass houses and driving glass cars so they can see that we're not doing anything illegal. So far, no one's suggested that we all walk around naked so they can see if we're carrying bombs, guns, or anything else illegal.

<sarc>Maybe the 'no clothing" part is coming once global warming is embraced. Then they can mandate it without worrying about anyone freezing.</sarc>

'Here are 400,000 smut sites. Block them' says Pakistani telco regulator

Mark 85

So who's the lucky Pakistani that had to complie the list?

Did he get dispensation from the local Iman or will they now take him out back to cleanse his sins?

Facebook CSO slams RSA Conf for repping 'the worst parts of the security industry'

Mark 85

Re: InfoSec is a joke at a lot of companies

And then when the company gets penetrated, they can claim that it got past their experts and they've brought in the really big guns to solve this... and by the way, here's some ID protection from xxxxxxx and we take your privacy and information very seriously.

Meh... same old, same old. nothing changes.

Lenovo's file-sharing app uses hardwired password '12345678' ... or no password at all

Mark 85
Facepalm

See Icon... That's about all that can be said.... sadly.

Scandal-smashed OPM will no longer do govt's background checks – for obvious reasons

Mark 85
Trollface

I'm sure they will have a new telephone number and maybe (?) a new IP address so the Chinese can't find them. </cynicism>

Mark 85

Re: Titanic?

I thought it was more like getting the dance band to play a snappy tune and take everyone's mind off the fact that the deck is tilting at an odd angle.

Come on kids, let's go play in the abandoned nuclear power station

Mark 85

In the States..

Visit Oak Ridge, Tennessee. A very nice museum in town and the old carbon pile reactor is still open to the public. Sadly, it's now US citizens only that can see the reactor... :( Paranoia runs rampant still.

https://www.ornl.gov/content/come-see-us

Apple growth flatlines ... Tim Cook thinks, hey, $80bn is still $80bn

Mark 85

Even adjusting for inflation, Apple makes the "robber barons" (rail and oil) of old look like amateurs when it comes to profit.

US rapper slams Earth is Round conspiracy in Twitter marathon

Mark 85

Re: Impossible!!!

It's fact only because Jules Verne said so... Byrd just followed his instructions.

Mark 85

Re: So this is where we are...

And Kanye is talking about running for president at some point... maybe this guy figures he can get the Texas vote and be VP?

Mark 85

Re: To Be Honest

Maybe not about this clown but about all the ones who will listen and agree. We've raised a couple generations of ignorant people and it's paying off. Just look at the crowd running for president and who they're actually playing to.

Mark 85

You got that backwards... hand him lots of sharp objects and let Darwin win.

Mark 85

Re: Issac Asimov delt with this ...

Were they sinking?

Nah.. it's the FM* belief that many of his ilk have.

*Freakin' Magic

Police Scotland will have direct access to disabled parking badge database

Mark 85

Re: Why badges?

Amen to that. My wife has an artificial leg and walks very well. She finally gave in to the doctor and got her handicap placard (not a badge here in the States) because of her other issues. You'd be surprised at the number of twits who berate her as not being "disabled".

Kentucky to build 3,400-mile state-owned broadband network – and a fight is brewing

Mark 85

Re: It's competition (how unfair)

I read it again.. when completed, a private company will run this. I'm sure this squabbling by the telcos means they're trying to make enough noise to be noticed and get it handed exclusively to them.

Airbus, Boeing aero parts maker loses $54m in cyber-stick-up

Mark 85

Re: Hmmmm

Surely, you're not serious? If you are, you'll never become senior management.

Data centers dig in as monster storm strikes America's East Coast

Mark 85

Re: Travelling advice (RAC "be prepared" list)

As long as all they find is the shovel, all will be ok. It's the carpet roll, duct (gaffer's) tape, and quick lime that really sets them off.

Mark 85
Coat

Re: ...advising customers to keep their phone batteries charged...

Very true according to El Reg. It seems there was an article here just recently about you chaps having weather suitable for raising hippopotami.

Icon ----> Chilly and rainy here in the PNW of the US.

Gotcha: Symantec fires reseller nabbed in tech support scam

Mark 85

Re: questioning if their parents were married...

Lately, I've just not been in the mood to string them along and have fun with them before dropping the hammner, etc.

In the past, I've done a lot of the stuff folks over time have mentioned here about dealing with them. Maybe it's lost it's challenged for me. I had a wise man tell me that it's "not fair in a battle of wits to engage the un-armed.".

Mark 85

Re: It's a shame Indian authorities aren't bothered about this stuff...

You really think that will stop the calls? It doesn't, it just makes them argue with you that you are using windows. A more proactive approach is to let loose with a string of invectives along with questioning if their parents were married... amongst other things. Usually 30 seconds and they're gone.

Google UK coughs up £130m back taxes. Is it enough?

Mark 85

Re: Profits are whatever you want them to be

This has all the hallmarks of what went on about 10-20 years ago with "big oil", "windfall profits", and "obscene profits" that were in the media at the time. The governments (and not just the US) reacted and started changing tax laws. Not all governments, and the tax laws were not done uniformly which allowed for loopholes and ways to weasel a bit with the numbers. The reason things are imbalanced has to with politics, elections, and sovereignty (along with national pride, etc. It took some time, but the accountants are sharper than the governments and have figured things out.

What is probably needed is for the governments to sit down together and sort it out. Not just a few, but, for example, the EU, many countries that run their own laws. They should be uniform laws one would think.

But, if they all worked to together (impossible dream) then came up with a uniform tax code, we wouldn't be seeing these things.

Criminal records checks 'unlawful' and 'arbitrary' rules High Court

Mark 85

@Holleritho -- Re: Spokesperson for the Home Office 'disappointed'

Why? Control... control of the populace. Lately, all the governments have been playing this game.

The next Cuban gristle crisis: US Navy warship powered by beef fat

Mark 85

What? No pig fat? No bacon grease? This is an outrage!!!! All government projects need pork!!!!

'No safe level' booze guidelines? Nonsense, thunder stats profs

Mark 85

Re: You know what you must do.

Ah.. a nice reminder.. beer and bacon sarnie time. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction.

How to save Wikipedia: Start paying editors ... or write for machines

Mark 85

Re: Is it a monopoly?

I think that is very true, however, most (for some value of "most") users won't bother. They'll take the first paragraph and call it good. I don't know how many times I've heard Wikipeadia referred to as the source and the user didn't go down through the whole article, much less read any of the cited references. Talk about the dumbing down of the population... the info is there and still no one uses it to it's full potential.

Boeing just about gives up on the 747

Mark 85

Re: 747 favourite fact.

I had a friend that would board the 747, look around and make the statement: "I know the guy who designed this plane and he never could draw worth a crap"... The catch is, he did know the lead designer. Later in the flight, he'd make statements about how his friend thought they could save fuel by making the wings flap much to the consternation of the flight crew and chuckles from some around him.