* Posts by Mark 85

12880 publicly visible posts • joined 22 Nov 2012

Silly Google's Photos app labelled black people as gorillas

Mark 85

Re: AI is hard

Well... there's a whole lot of racial slurs involving apes and monkeys that still show up in the US. So yes, I can see where it's an insult. Unintentional from an AI standpoint, but... unintended consequences and all that.

Mark 85

Re: Testing

I think it goes back further than the web... many companies figured the risk assessment and decided to let their customers/users do their testing. It's just taken the software companies time to figure out how in-house testing affects the bottom line. The difference is that generally software won't kill or maim people compared to say a car or other piece of equipment.

NSA continues mass slurping of Americans' phone metadata

Mark 85

Oxymoron?

Director of National Intelligence...? I'm American and I've often wondered about this concept.

Mark 85

Re: Foreign Intelligence Surveillance

Ever since Pogo put it this way: "We have met the enemy and he is us.".

Congratulations! You survived the leap secondocalypse

Mark 85
Trollface

I want my 1 second of life back that I lost!!!!! At least with DST, I may lose one hour but later I get it back.

‘Clandestines' prompt British border blockade in France

Mark 85
Facepalm

Re: TIL...

I admit I had to do some Googling on this... so it's a temporary fence then. A very expensive temporary fence....Give it a high-sounding name and probably a department to handle it.

In a word... sheeesh...

Teaching people to speak English? You just need Chatroulette without the dick pics

Mark 85

I have my doubts....

My basic thought is that mobile phones, messaging apps and all that have hugely increased the value to people of being literate, even if only vaguely so

From what I've seen here in the States, the literacy level is dropping. I'm seeing more and more emails from management using "textspeak"... They even think (or so it seems) that email is like Twitter and you're only allowed 140 characters. I can't begin to total up how many times I've had to call the writer and ask for a translation and what are they trying to say. So.. good luck with raising the literacy rate to a new level.

World+dog will soon watch 'at least 200 pr0n vids a year'

Mark 85

Re: Won't somebody...

They probably did. But then, it's probably the same folks who thought of the goat, and the sheep and the... whatever. I'm just not brave enough to go check.

Quick.. someone file for grant to see if the providers are serving this population!!!!!

Palaeoboffins discover 500 MILLION year old ARMOURED WORM

Mark 85

and they probably should have qualified it further with "that we know of." There's still fascinating discoveries going on deep down in the oceans and not all has been discovered yet.

Uber execs charged, will stand trial in France

Mark 85

Now that was true understatement...

Identity protection outfit LifeLock picked, popped

Mark 85
Facepalm

Irony alert maybe?

Am I the only one who's chuckling at the irony of this?* After all their ads and fear mongering... they were insecure also.

* Given the insecurity revelations of late, I might also be either cynical or jaded...

Yikes! Facebook will run on TELEPATHY, thinks Zuck, in Q&A

Mark 85

"One day, I believe we'll be able to send full rich thoughts to each other directly using technology,"

Somehow the concept of "rich thoughts" and "Facebook" seem to be somewhat at odds with each other.

Microsoft: This Windows 10 build has 'NO significant known issues'

Mark 85

Re: "No significant issues"...?

Go back a few days to when MS came out with their pronouncement that "we see software as a service"... Translation... OS $X . You want Paint? Add $Y. You want some other accessories...? $Z per each one.

I have a bad feeling about where this is headed.......

Cunning goldfish avoided predator in tank for seven years

Mark 85

Go read the link and all will be revealed... he's a star now but not a starfish.

Hide the HUD, say boffins, they're bad for driver safety

Mark 85

A programmable HUD maybe...

I'd like one that I can set the info that I want... speed, engine/tire(tyre) alerts, maybe mpg for long road trips.

Oh.. and I want a selectable option for the machineguns and missile launcher to take care of distractions such as idiots and that guy with the 10,000 Watt speaker system that makes my car shake to his music from 50 yards away and hangs on my bumper even at 10mph over the limit but won't go around even if I slow down to 10 under the limit. I guess I don't want much, do I?

Audit finds new flaw at US Office of Personnel Management

Mark 85
Facepalm

And the hits stupidity just keeps on coming.....

Devs, welcome your EVIL ROBOT OVERLORDS from MIT

Mark 85
Devil

Oh the Humanity....

But only if it can fix Windows.... otherwise, no worries.

WikiLeaks docs show NSA's 10-year economic espionage campaign against France

Mark 85

Who authororized this?

I'm not about to go to Wikileaks to read this... but who authorized it? And also authorized the "sharing"? Even the other media outlets only state it's the agreement between the "5 Eyes". Sounds to me like all 5 are in bed with each other and none of them like the French.

Supreme Court ignores Google's whinging in Java copyright suit

Mark 85

Re: I wonder if the Supreme Court understood the issue?

I don't think at this point, they had to understand the issue. IANAL either but watching this court and reading of similar suits, they get tossed since there really isn't a Constitutional question raised. If it had been raised at the start of the lawsuit, or during the appeal.. maybe. The catch is, copyrights and patents are part of Congresses duty to "regulate trade". This issue really needs to be addressed in Congress.... like that will ever happen. To many lobbyists and vested interests around.

Mark 85

Uh.... did you RTFA? This about copyright, not patents.

Rogue IT is shadow of its former self

Mark 85

Some places maybe have learned a lesson?

After Sony, Target, and others, I'm wondering of some management types think it's time to actually go through the channels and let IT take the blame if stuff suddenly starts disappearing. Or maybe they're just hiding they "shadow" better.....

US police to throw big balls in criminals' faces

Mark 85

Re: I can't wait for the headlines

Oh... I can see some spoiled teenager rolling one into the girl's locker room and posting on FB about how clever he is.

Apple's mystery auto project siphoning staff from other divisions

Mark 85

Re: Where are they going to drive?

You missed a couple....

There will be a gold plated stripe around the windshield that will run you $10,000 extra.

If you hit a bump, the car bends and the windows break.

Linux bids for UAV world domination by enslaving future skybot army

Mark 85

Re: Forget the desktop

Sometimes the desktop IS the high ground....

We’re in bed together, admit Intel Security, Trend Micro and NCA

Mark 85

Interesting development

I find this to possibly be a good thing but hope that there's some oversight. I do have a possibly related or non-related question.. What AV do cybercrims use? Seems to me that there's some room for actually stopping these guys. Like maybe the security companies use them (unknowingly to the crim) to either improve their product or to sell it.

It like the NSA here in the States... are they using the crims in some ways like beta testers or just stealing their ideas and malware?

Windows 10 is due in one month: Will it be ready?

Mark 85

Now this is re-assuring

He also noted that preview builds were "in a rough spot" because Microsoft is still merging work from various teams, implying that it can all come together at the last moment.

What could possibly go wrong with that plan....?

Mark 85

Re: I see

Actually, that appears to be the plan... "as a service".. When the "supported lifetime" (6 months? 6 years?) ends, they'll roll out the new one and for only $XX per month, your PC will work. I'm seeing quite a bit of software moving into that business model and I'll be damned if I like it.

Giant male member spontaneously ejaculates over Norway

Mark 85
Alert

Re: To quote Mr James May

Or running for political office...

KRAKKOOM! SpaceX Falcon supply mission to ISS EXPLODES minutes after launch

Mark 85

Re: lightning? bah.

The "Law of Averages" maybe?

Mark 85

Re: Motoring along...

There's one report that indicates the area interest is the capsule fairing or the fairing at the capsule/last stage tore loose. As someone wiser than me said: "The rocket science is the easy part, the doing is the hard part."

Mark 85
Pint

Refreshing to read the coments here....

One goes to Fox, NYT, and others for this news and the comments are filled with BS about Obama did it, ISIS did it, you're polluting the air and ocean...yada..yada.. yada... Have one on me fellow commentards... Nice to see intelligent commentary that doesn't degrade into garbage.

Boffins set networking record with marathon 12,000 km fiber data run

Mark 85

So....how was it really tested?

A bunch of industrial size spools of fibre in the corner or run back and forth across the floor and ceiling? Seems like it have to be that way or is there 12,000 of unused cable strung about the countyside?

Australian government demands signoff on telco network designs

Mark 85
Facepalm

I feel for you guys in Oz. So the national security folks have to be contacted which in itself just doesn't feel right to me. Sort of like.. 'we know you moved and now we found you again."? And approval by government... which means that someone who is probably a political appointee with no knowledge and maybe a lawyer or two will decide? Where's the guarantee of technical competence to approve?

It started in New Zealand, now it's your turn. I wonder what country will pick up on this next? The US? GB?

Gates: Renewable energy can't do the job. Gov should switch green subsidies into R&D

Mark 85

Re: StratoSolar

Three posts and all praising this idea. Major stockholder are we?

Mark 85

Nukes....

we know they work. We know where the pitfalls are. Yes, we should have them. However, here in the States.. say the "N" word (Nuke not the other) and people start shaking in their boots, going pale, and generally become antagonistic. Maybe the "duck and cover" generation need to die off before the fear goes away.

Humongous headsets and virtual insanity

Mark 85

Re: What about purely non-fun uses?

Right now, they are a novelty and probably for the near future. Once the killer app/use hits, they will take off. I don't think the gamers will be much of a market to recoup R&D costs. If a business use is found and companies jump on it, then the prices will drop and individuals will flock to that market.

Or, it may have to go vice versa.. the killer app/use that everyone wants or thinks they need and then business will adopt it.

I think the biggest market right now would be training, but it will take a lot of reasons for companies to spend the money for it since there's little profit motive for them. Governments... military, air traffic control would definitely benefit from it.

Virtual reality below the prehistoric waves: David Attenborough's First Life

Mark 85

Simply kitting schools out with a basic GearVR setup could achieve all of these things without having to bus anyone anywhere.

While that's an excellent idea, think about how well tech overall is faring in schools. Broken and stolen equipment. Under utilized. And once it's in, upkeep and maintenance (including patches) are forgot about. Oh.. and it's expensive. A lot of taxpayers would balk at the price of acquisition and upkeep.

I do agree that there's a lot of potential as a teaching tool. And if the costs of courseware, hardware, and operating costs drop, it will be adopted.

Space station cabbage: To boldly grow where no veg has grown before

Mark 85

Re: Hell =

I think a bit of beer and some pickled eggs would also add to the misery. I guess it's good that no one has requested them yet.

Mark 85

Re: Dumb Question

The answer is "it depends" I think. A real slow 'bump' probably wouldn't do much. Something harder might damage the hull integrity and result in air loss or serious damage that irreversible. (for some value of "harder:) As for knocking it out of orbit.. I have no idea what it would take.

Apple pulls Civil War games in Confederate flag takedown

Mark 85

Re: BTW, it's good, IMO, that the flag is pulled from State capitols, etc...

Then it probably should stay there on the memorial. I specifically said "state capitols". OTOH, what about German cemetaries? Should they fly the swastika?

Bloke called Rod struck by lightning for second time

Mark 85

I'll bet his insurance company is having second thoughts on the policy they sold him.

BOFH: Don't go changing on Friday evenings, I don't wanna work that hard

Mark 85

Re: Reach out...

When I hear "reach out", I sometimes mention that a 30-06 is the appropriate tool. Many managers don't use that term around me anymore. I wonder why?

GCHQ heard you liked spying, so spied on itself spying on you

Mark 85
Black Helicopters

Re: Damn, cleaning the coffee off the table again

It was typo!!!! Honest!!!! I wasn't intending to.... I hear helicopters...

Abort, abort! Metal-on-metal VIOLENCE as Google's robo-car nearly CRASHES

Mark 85
Devil

Well.... since Google thinks they own the Information Superhighway, why wouldn't they think they own a real highway?

Mark 85
Pint

Re: The Register narrowly avoids committing act of journalism

Well... it's good for an upvote from me. I needed a bit humor today and the comments are providing it. Besides, it's Friday... have one on me.

GM's cheaper-than-Tesla 'leccy car tested at batt-powered data centre

Mark 85
Coffee/keyboard

Re: 80% left?

Hahahahahaha..... you missed the joke icon... <chortle><choke>

OPM data breach: Looking at you, China! National Intelligence head stares out Beijing

Mark 85

Re: He's 'avin a giraffe

I find it amazing that in other high profile attacks (the ones that make the media), they can establish rather quickly ("quickly" for some value of governmentspeak) but when the government's house is broken into, they don't know. Is the government IT that bad? No logs? No intruder protection? Basically a wide open front door with no one giving a crap? This seems like bad policy, not politics, but incompetence of those in charge of IT (and not the individual department heads of say.. OPM). But then, we've seen a lot of bad policy made whereas in this case, any policy would have been better than none.

Mark 85

Nice thoughts. But if you've followed McCain, he'll not do the rational thing when he vent and make a scene suitable for a soundbite.

Google helps Brit crims polish their image – but what about the innocent

Mark 85

Google might or might not be making a point

But, if they won't discuss, either in general terms or specific instances, we have no way of knowing. In the cases presented in the article, there might be valid reasons for the takedown request and not necessarily the perps. It's a pity that they are not a bit more open on this. Currently, it looks like just more game playing from Google.

Britain beats back Argies over Falklands online land grab

Mark 85

Re: Argies are too late

It's yours for free @Swarthy if you'll sing "Nimrod's Son" by the Pixies whilst I do a Kim Deal impression on the bass guitar.

And thus a startup is born.. and we are witness to it. I'm in awe of the power of the comments section.