* Posts by Mark 85

12880 publicly visible posts • joined 22 Nov 2012

Shout, shout, Elliott loses out. Samsung will merge with itself after all

Mark 85

"Elliott is disappointed that the takeover appears to have been approved against the wishes of so many independent shareholders"

This is classic.... "against the wishes of so many independent shareholders".. How many is "many"? Just them? Obviously not the majority however.

Elliot, go cry in the corner and let the adults do adult stuff. Don't forget your teddy bear.

And if the "all the options at it's disposal" include holding your breath until you turn blue.... feel free.

Ad slingers beware! Google raises Red Screen of malware Dearth

Mark 85

Re: Ads in the Pot meet Kettle world.

Just need to trust that they don't abuse this...

There's a big part of the problem... trust. Can we trust Google?

Mark 85

Ads in the Pot meet Kettle world.

A conundrum... an ad placement specialist blocking supposed malware sites and thus if a site wants ads and to be seen, they need to use Google. So if the malware peddler's place their ads via Google, all would be well and no red screen?

Sky still blue, above the ocean: Google still raking it in

Mark 85

Re: For exceedingly small values of "good".

Well... the analysts are grumbling about their growth slowing. The only way to speed up the growth in a relatively saturated market is to somehow get people to spend more time looking at ads. So you're right, they do want all our time.

But until they figure out how to convince our bosses that we should be looking at their ads or that we should be looking at ads instead of having a life, the analysts and Google can blow it out their butts.

Happy NukeDay to you! 70 years in the shadow of the bomb post-Trinity

Mark 85

He might be right about re-opening testing in a different time and place.

However, given the way things are, some countries will suddenly see it as a urinating contest and go for a bigger boom. Others will look at it and start building their own as it's cost efficient way (in their minds) to destroy the enemy. I think that re-opening testing would be a bad thing overall. If the world was different.... maybe.

I won't even go into the mass hysteria that this would create about nuke power plants.....

Having been slammed and embarrassed, ICANN tells the world: We've done nowt wrong

Mark 85

I think this sums it up nicely....but they didn't finish the sentence.

"The accountability proposal should add only the minimal amount of extra structure and not introduce undetermined risks."

However, they failed to mention that the "undetermined risks" are to ICANN and it's board.

Time to put on the boots... with all the horse crap coming out of ICANN, there has to be a pony in there somewhere.

Lawyer brands client 'small penis asshole' before challenging him to a DUEL

Mark 85

Re: I wouldn't normally do this but...

You should add to that list.. The Post Pub Nosh. Very much IT related, though.

Mark 85

Re: Nanny state gone mad

I know why I did. To see if it was picture a certain politician... and it was.

Mark 85

Re: re. "small penis a**hole"

Don't know what's worse... politicians or lawyers.

I can't speak for other countries but in the US, most politicians are lawyers. Thus the blurring of "what's worse". They're one and the same. Well.. maybe not. Politicians were usually lawyers first thus they've added a layer of BS themselves.

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

Mark 85

More profit for Apple, Sammy, etc....

Cut out the access in the case for the card, the carrier, the connections, etc. Mount them on the main board. Save maybe a dollar or two in labor and a dollar or two (or more) on the card carrier and case hardware... It may not seem like much on a per unit basis but it adds up fast with the number of these things being sold.

So everyone wins.. the telcos and manufacturer.. Oh wait.. not the customer.

Space Station 'nauts dive for cover from flying Soviet junk

Mark 85

Re: "including delivery charges the fuel costs nearly $10,000 per pound"

I think this comes under the heading of "Registered, 2 day or less, insured" delivery... gold plated packaging is, of course, extra.

Mark 85

I've wondered about this every time they have had to dive into the lifeboat....

Is the Soyuz debris proof or just a smaller target?

Brit school software biz unchains lawyers after crappy security exposed

Mark 85

What a bunch of numpties... calling in the lawyers instead of fixing the problem. They deserve whatever crap hits them. I guess the new mantra is: "Think of the profit and then maybe the children..."

Feel like you're being herded onto Windows 10? Well, you should

Mark 85

Why not? Personally, it's simple for me.. they haven't come out yet (though it's implied) that at some point this OS will be SoS. I've a few programs where the latest versions are like that and I'll be damned if I'm going to pay every month for something I'll use maybe twice a month... Same for the OS, let me buy it, on a DVD/CD and get over it.

Also.. the old rule of thumb about Service Pack 1. But since there's no service packs, it'll have to be a "wait and see".

Don't tax me monthly. I don't do Autopay, and other automatic monthly payment plans as I've been screwed over a couple of times. Never again.

At work, it'll be a totally different scenario which upper manglement will decide.

Bloke thrown in the clink for hacking SIXTY PER CENT of Americans

Mark 85

The list of hacked businesses was not disclosed by the US Department of Justice,

I would hope that the DOJ contacted the businesses in order for the security holes to be closed. If not, then someone else will soon have the keys to these kingdoms. I think the DOJ should publish the list AND notify these businesses. Unless.. the businesses are really agencies of the Federal Government, in which case it damn well should be mandatory to name names.

FireEye intern nailed in Darkode downfall was VXer, say the Feds

Mark 85

Make me wonder...

How many others are double-agents as such? He's fighting malware and using what he's learn to create it and vice versa. I do wonder if there's more of this than is public (for some value of public) knowledge? Is it that the miscreants haven't been caught yet? Or is it that they are known to the companies that employ them? This seems to be a very murky business in many ways.

New Horizons: We've got a pretty pic of Pluto. Now let's get our SCIENCE on

Mark 85
Boffin

Re: Dwarf planet?

Should that be bite-sized...or to be pedantic.. byte-sized?

Mark 85
Pint

We should buy the New Horizon's folks one...

Everyone involved deserves all the celebratory beers they can consume... It's beyond amazing to me. Just wow...

Europe a step closer to keeping records on all passengers flying in and out of the Continent

Mark 85

It is a proxy. Possibly even a better indicator then asking for religious preference as only the true believers would order a specific meal type.

Behold: Pluto's huge ICE MOUNTAINS ... and signs of cryovolcanoes?

Mark 85

Re: A few answers...

Isn't that the way it's supposed to be: "For every answer, there pops up two more questions."????

Mark 85
Pint

Just amazing..

This changes what we thought about other planets a bit. I'm just like "wow!"... and can't wait for the rest of the science to received and examined. No telling what other surprises are waiting.....

Intel beats earnings estimates (because nobody expected it to earn much)

Mark 85

Ah... a good plan... Cut R&D

Yes, it's a cost center and not a profit center. But if they want the profits in the future, they need the R&D done now. I suspect this is soon to be another dying company that beancounters who can't see beyond the quarter are running.

Edit: discovered some typos.. feels like Monday hit mid-week... <sigh>

Microsoft sprints to finish, emits possible Windows 10 RC build

Mark 85

So on the 30th...

After the release, while the rest of us are running about like chickens with no heads and answering (or trying to) and fixing (or trying to) problems, will MS start it's layoffs? Or will all the coders be taking a much deserved vacation?

I hope the later and I hope the damned thing works. If Vista was every IT support person's version of a nightmare, this will be worse if doesn't work right due to the sheer numbers of people getting it.

Scary times indeed to be doing IT support for home users (think of Uncle Bob calling you) and companies that won't hold back the upgrade and I can think of at least 2 companies in my area going forward with this, untested, untried......

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

Mark 85

Once again, problem solving by decree...

How about this is another boondoggle that won't solve the problem? If past history is anything to go on when dealing with federal agenices, local communities and businesses, this will be so mismanaged and rife with politics as to be a waste of everyones' time and money.

Unredacted: ICANN's hidden role in fierce battle over .Africa rights

Mark 85

and who the hell do they think they are!?

Hmm... Congress maybe?

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

Mark 85

Re: Maybe thats what my colleagues are doing...

Doesn't Scott Adams sit about 2 desks away from where you do?

Horrifying MOCK BACON ABOMINATION grown in BUBBLING VATS as ALGAE

Mark 85
Headmaster

Re: Damn it

American bacon is from the belly.. thus the market in pork bellies. It's stripy with lean and fat. British bacon is from the loin. There's other differences....

Here's some places for your enjoyment:

American bacon

British bacon

Mark 85
FAIL

Actually, a lot of us (but not a majority) do know and appreciate real bacon.

This, however, is an abomination of the highest order. I'm guessing that these boffins are vegetarians and wouldn't know a real pig if came up and bit them on their ass. Nor would they have a clue that real bacon is more than a "flavor". Much akin to the guys/gals who developed "bacon bits in a jar" which doesn't involve any pigs or other animals at all.

Dotcom's file-sharing hive Mega 'sues for copyright infringement'

Mark 85
Pirate

Irony much?

See title...

Samsung promises win over hedge fund Elliot as investor shrieks 'NO'

Mark 85

Elliot protesting a merger?

Not news but typical. If Samsung were divesting themselves of a division, Elliot would be happy.. profit. I really wish someone would nuke "investment firms" such as this from space and start with Icahn as many view him as the father of all these scum. All they do is destroy companies and by extension, worker's lives.

If a company's goal is long-term, then the c-suites really need to re-think IPO's as the activists are only concerned about the short-term and this quarter's profit.

Pluto Pic: Is it a DOG? Is it a HEART? Or is it ... is it ... BIGFOOT?

Mark 85

I'm curious what they've been smoking or drinking and are they sharing?

Google: Maps editing is back – but, please, no more p*ss-taking robots!

Mark 85
Devil

Re: In other words...

For payment? I'd like the idea of not serving ads to the moderators? I think there would be a pretty long line of applicants for that fringe benefit.

Uninstalled Google Photos? Thought your pics safe from slurping? WRONG, bozo

Mark 85

Nice...

So we tech types now know... but what about the average user? Anyone tell them? Do they (average user) even care? There's been an awful lot of this type of crap lately where "we" know, but "user" doesn't. Think Flash.. does the average user know or care that it has, shall we say "issues"?

Microsoft suspends Windows 10 new-build downloads ahead of launch

Mark 85
Devil

The 29th...

So their downloads of Win 10 upon the public will clog the Interwebs? I suspect that Murphy is waiting in the wings mouthing over and over: "The best laid plans of mice and men....". I think I'll go vacation (holiday) that week and the next to someplace with no internet, no cell phone coverage.

Adobe: We REALLY are taking Flash security seriously – honest

Mark 85

The cash cow is that browser (Chrome the last time I looked), toolbar or laughable AVS that it wants to install every time you update or install it.

Alca-Lu clocks 300 Gbps over 10,000 km submarine cable

Mark 85

The Race is On!

Things should sort themselves out and the sprinters will fall by the wayside and the long-distance runners will come out on top. That is, until the buyouts start and some of the tech gets shelved as has happened so often in the IT world.

This still sounds very promising.

FLASH MUST DIE, says Facebook security chief

Mark 85

I've killed it on all my home machines (at the office, in the process of killing it). So.. are we missing anything by not having it? So far, I haven't seen anything except some news sites that want Flash.

US yoinks six Nigerians to Mississippi on '419 scam' charges

Mark 85

So that explains it...

I wondered why the widow of the General suddenly stopped communicating with me.

Hacking Team: We’ll be back in the spyware biz before you know it

Mark 85

Re: Understood.

Good points, Dan. With the crap flying back and forth between those two, I have wonder.. is the malware delivery tools, even the malware itself, coming from "ethical" companies such as these?

Google makes new hires ONE pay offer. 'Negotiation'? What's that?

Mark 85

That line right there -- the "yes, we know we're starting you low, but we'll make it up to you"... When you hear that, ask for it in writing, certified, notarized, and signed by at least 2 C-suiters. I've seen better grade BS in a farmer's field.

Mark 85

Re: commenting history

"We note that you're an active commentard on a certain red bannered tech site and that you also regularly downvote our Commentard Response Team's comments... "

Mathematician: sunspot could mean mini ice age from 2030

Mark 85

This good be good news or bad news.....

Now all the deniers will have more ammo to go to war with the true believers. It'll be interesting to see how this pans out as that big orange ball in the sky is a variable that has been ignored an awful lot by both sides.

Someone at Subway is a serious security nerd

Mark 85
Thumb Up

Re: Subway devs employ security by design

We beg for security by design and I'm guessing there will be more than one commentard berating Subway for this. I realize it's only a sandwich shop, but if they can do it, so can the bigger chains and they should. It may not be the best security but it is a start.

Mark 85
Devil

Re: They're watching

Or you could be suspected of being a peadophile after all the news about "Jerod" lately. Oh, wait.. that's not NSA watching them. That's GCHQ if I remember right...

Police investigate strange case of doughnut-licking pop singer Ariana Grande

Mark 85
Thumb Down

So, spoiled pop star, sometimes actress, shows her immature bratiness? She hates Americans and America yet is one? And, if I got this right, her legion of fans will adore even more rather than snorting and walking away... or offering to send her to the country of her choice... right?

I realize that America is supposed to be a classless society (it's not, we know that, but bear with me) but having "no class" isn't what that phrase means....

</rant>

DEA agent slugged a MEELLION dollars for Silk Road snipe

Mark 85

Re: Good news story

Putting an LEO into the general population in a prison... any prison except maybe one of the "country clubs" like Martha Stewart and others have been in, is a death sentence. I'm thinking that someone (his lawyer?) doesn't like him or he has a suicide wish. The innuendo about "mental health issues" not being helped due lack of medication, etc. could be why.

China makes internet shut-downs official with new security law

Mark 85

It looks to me like they are expecting or maybe have had some "hijacking of data" going on... Imagine that.

Plus the "shut down the internet" if there's another Tiananmen Square type incident...err.. protest... err.. massacre.

Mighty CHASMS, craters FOUND ON MOON of Pluto

Mark 85
Thumb Up

And in just a few more days... even better pictures and some more science. Glorious times...

Hacking Team: We're the good guys, but SO misunderstood. Like Batman

Mark 85

Doubtful...

In this case, judging from what I've read here and elsewhere... I doubt any government agency did this. If they had, I believe they would have kept it to themselves for the vulns or... maybe a bit of blackmail by threatening to release it.

In the SONY case, the only reason a governmental player would have released it would be for the embarrassment factor and possibly the harassment of employees by miscreants.

Reality.. it doesn't matter who hacked them, they're reputation is toast.