* Posts by Mark 85

12880 publicly visible posts • joined 22 Nov 2012

We need to talk about mathematical backdoors in encryption algorithms

Mark 85

The problem is normal, human paranoia and the for some value of normal urge to control others and/or monitor everything. We (the people) want our comms to be secure and private. Government has decided that because they can, everything should be slurped and stored "just in case". Some of it gets processed but most comms are just stored or so we've been told.

There is two inherent issues thought... the old "if you have done nothing wrong, nothing to fear".. which is bull since everyone has done at least one or two things wrong. The other is the old "give me five lines and I'll find something to hang you with" thing. Do we want to continue living in the shadow of this? Or do we (here in the States) wish to continue to exercise our Constitutional rights to free and unfettered speech?

I do believe that many of us are paranoid about comms for very valid reasons given the nature of governments (all of them) of late. And then there's the crims and financial gain....

Kentucky lawmaker pushes smut filter law (update: maybe not)

Mark 85

And his widow has come out saying she'll run for now open seat and continue his "good work".

Mark 85

They've already hit Democrats. I'm thinking the real target is ignoring these resignations as he will probably have to resign also.

Mark 85

These kind of things are seldom about morality... note the $20 fee to remove it = income to the state. If was morality he wanted legislated, there would be "no removal allowed".

Mark 85

Re: Seriously?

In this case it's "a frustrated old man" who is a bit of a hypocrite apparently. (see the update at the bottom of the article).

5 reasons why America's Ctrl-Z on net neutrality rules is a GOOD thing

Mark 85

I think your last sentence pretty much sums up the problem. Maybe not entirely legal backgrounds but just being involved in legalistic things. The part that's lacking is where does the greed and stupidity come from? I'm seeing it at all levels of the government, from the very top to the very bottom...

Mark 85

No enough bullets and you couldn't possibly shoot fast enough to stop them reproducing and making even more. It's a zero sum game, I'm afraid.

Murdoch's Fox empire is set to become a literal Mickey Mouse outfit

Mark 85

I noticed that Fox news was not included in the deal, I wonder if that is because Disney didn't want to be spending money on the pile of crap that passes as a news channel.

So Fox News won't officially be a Mickey Mouse company? Shocked, I am.

So what happened with the patent judge and the Euro Patent Office?

Mark 85

Re: Do a little experiment.

You missed one.... 3a. Play appropriate background music, something with a violin.

Critical US mass spying program scrutiny lost amid partisan nonsense

Mark 85
Thumb Down

I sense that the honorable Deputy Attorney General believes in the "if you can't dazzle them with brilliance, then baffle them with bullshit" approach. He's obviously playing follow the leader at this point.

IBM reminds staff not to break customers in pre-Xmas fix-this-now rush

Mark 85

Re: Someone not following best practices

End of calendar year probably. Seems everyone wants everything fixed for the new year's business. The holidays are seen as downtime and prime time to get this work done. The places I worked always had max overtime going for IT and building services so there wouldn't be an impact (allegedly) on the business.

Plus, a lot of companies want to get things off the books, money wise. And lets not forget the 1st of the year layoff plans many places have now (not just IBM) So hump time for the troops while manglement parties on.

At Christmas, do you give peas a chance? Go cold turkey? What is the perfect festive feast?

Mark 85

Re: Goose

Yorkshire puds with Xmas dinner. Yes or no?

A resounding NO here, I can't imagine why you would do such a thing.

Cue the traditional food fight... pud works perfectly.

One per cent of all websites probably p0wned each year, say boffins

Mark 85

Re: What I don't understand

Plus it isn't like having control of a lot of accounts at a place like this is of any use to anyone.

True up to a point but many people reuse their login names and passwords. So it's worth the time for the bad guys to test them, not just "here" but over "there" and "there".....

Auto auto fleets to dodge British potholes in future

Mark 85

Re: Why?

But have you ever noticed that there some places the potholes are always fixed promptly? Usually around the driving routes of those who have power and influence.

Mark 85

Solution looking for a problem if you ask me

The solution is there.... just fix the roads. The problem is the idiots in charge and the ones actually doing the repairs. They seem to have better things to do, like talk on the cell phone, lean on their shovels and watch traffic. Manglement wants lunch, meetings, more money and of course, the benefits and status of "being in charge without doing anything".

Facebook announces ad revenue reroute: When Irish eyes are crying

Mark 85

Re: How will they allocate the cost?

Never underestimate accountants and their mysterious ways. They will find a way.

Pickaxe chops cable, KOs UKFast data centre

Mark 85

Re: Take a look at yourself

Well said but once this goes to manglement and someone looks at that cost.. well those eat into the profit. The plan then comes flying back with a "reduce cost" mandate and things really go to hell from there.

Mark 85

Re: I'm firmly of the opinion...

....must have been around 1991, to remove the ban on bringing coffee mugs into the planning room

One has to wonder if that was actually coffee or tea in those mugs than or something with a bit of alcohol content. I've worked with a few like that. Never, ever invited them to a meeting when their coffee/tea mug was less than half full.

Signing up for the RAF? Don't bother – you've been Capita'd

Mark 85

Re: "The mission of the Civil Service is the achievement of epic waste for Government "

I think the rule is that if you pay them more, you just pay for a higher level of incompetence.

Millions of moaners vindicated: Man flu is 'a thing', says researcher, and big TVs are cure

Mark 85

Once you feel better - congratulate yourself with a wee dram of the good stuff.

"A wee dram"? Meh... moderation is for monks. Bring on the cask!!!!

SpaceX to try reusing both rocket and spacecraft for historic ISS mission

Mark 85

Re: Hope they include

I was hoping that went to "Mars Needs Women".... alas..alak..

Mark 85

Coming soon?

Mad Man Musk's Used Booster and Capsule Mart. Low, low, low prices on gently launched and recovered vehicles.

Netflix silent about ridicule as it discusses punters' viewing habits

Mark 85

Re: 'because its 'amusing' or just because Netflix can!'

Well said, Dan. I find it appalling what personal information people will give up for something free, low cost, and/or transitory. I believe this is the tip of a very big iceberg that's going to hit hard in future. Be it private companies collecting the data or the government. Someone, somewhere will decide that this data can be used in a not pleasant way to further their own interests.

Forget Bruce Willis, Earth's atmosphere is our best defense against meteorites

Mark 85
Coat

Armageddon or Armageddon It On"? I get those two movies confused...

I got my coat, I'll go quietly. The coat is one in the last row...

Russian hacker clan exposed: They're called MoneyTaker, and they're gonna take your money

Mark 85

Seems that something changed in crim world. This group is attacking Russian banks which in the past seemed to be off limits for Russian hackers. So are they not Russian then or is that what they want everyone to believe?

UK lacks engineering and tech skills to make government's industrial strategy work – report

Mark 85

Re: All the jobs were sent offshore to get it for cheap....

As long as we charge our future engineers 20-40K up front which they cannot recoup with their starting salary we have NO MEANS TO COMPETE.

As an outsider, looking at the various sums of money given to "studies" such as this, the one mentioned in the article (national productivity investment) and probably more in a similar nature that just basically fund studies and conferences, I'm pretty sure if the government were redirected, then the shortage problem could be solved. All governments lately seem to have this self-centered urge to spend billions on such things (studies, advocacy, discussion groups, etc.) that have no real impact on the problem. Start funding the schools and education sector for crying out loud and you'll get results.

<rant off>

YouTuber cements head inside microwave oven

Mark 85

This stuff has nothing to do with IQ but more with common sense.

Mark 85

Re: They might consider

In the US (but not often enough) people have been fined or charged for the cost of emergency services for needing rescuing after doing some really stupid things. Perhaps the fines/cost recovery need to be mandatory?

Mark 85

Re: I have always thought...

I have always thought when the call is picked up by the emergency services, there are explicit questions they should ask of which "Is youtube involved?"

Add to that since Youtube isn't always involved: "Did he yell 'Hey ya'll, watch this.'?".* Those last words seem to be very common among some of the recent dead.

*Usually followed but not always heard by bystanders is: "Oh...s**t!!!!".

Tired of despairing of Trump and Brexit? Why not despair about YouTube stars instead?

Mark 85

Re: WTF is wrong with this world?

Maybe it's time for the "best" (for some value of "best") worlds and maybe combine Youtube and the Darwin Awards? Hmm. I'm just thinking out loud and it might just work....

Mark 85

Re: I don't get it.

There's no snarky politics, no caps.... Who are you and what have you done with Bob? Have an upvote anyway.

Mark 85

"garbage" is a very poorly defined word I'm afraid.

To paraphrase an old saying: "One man's garbage, is another man's treasure". Lately Youtube and politics pretty much prove it.

Mark 85

Re: If you think that is stupid

The videos would finish with me murdering vegetables with a hammer.

Do you think it could catch on?

Been done.... look up Gallagher.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 sandbox leaked TLS certificate's private parts

Mark 85

Re: some time

But in this case, it just reaffirmed why some us refer M$ as "MicroSloth".

FCC backtracks on helping with neutrality fraud investigation

Mark 85
Holmes

Re: Anyone else?

See Icon.....

Disk drive fired 'Frisbees of death' across data centre after storage admin crossed his wires

Mark 85

Re: @Wolfclaw

From roughly 1978 to the present, I've not worn a tie at work. My first work was in engineering and often had to go to the shop floor or take equipment into the field for testing. Ties were a no-no as a) they got in the way and 2) a safety hazard. When I changed career paths to IT, I kept the same philosophy... no tie as it's a safety hazard and the bosses agreed.

New Capita system has left British Army recruits unable to register online

Mark 85

Did anyone actually think to let the developers show potential users early prototypes and get feedback?

If things there are like here in the States, the answer is "no". Only the procurement and brass are involved before tossing something that's "finished" to the troops. Usually, massive reworks are needed once the troops show up and start pointing out the problems that the Idiots In Charge (IIC) have built into the system. Applies to both software and hardware. Procurement types are muppets without a clue.

Looking through walls, now easier than ever

Mark 85

Time to upgrade the house walls with a Faraday Cage, I believe and I just got done repainting this summer. <sigh> .

Los Angeles police tell drivers not to trust navigation apps as wildfires engulf area

Mark 85

Re: Don't drive into a raging wildfire...

DO NOT IGNORE COMMON SENSE OR MAINTAIN A LACK THEREOF

As someone once said: "Common sense isn't common.."

Mark 85

One has to wonder if maybe Google itself is part of the problem. I'd lay odds that lots of people go to Google Maps, look at the traffic and then hit the satellite view: "See.. no fires there." and then the trouble starts. I've known some who have done this and then run into a blizzard or other weather event.

Bitcoin price soars amid technical troubles for exchanges

Mark 85

At some point, the Bitcoin bubble will obviously explode. I wonder what kind of economic meltdown will follow along with where all the "stolen" ones ended up.

OK Google: A stranger with stash of pirated films is spamming my Google Team Drive

Mark 85

So Trump's and Clinton's files.... "why can't we have both, Coleman?".

Meet the woman with a supernatural affinity for stiff lovers

Mark 85

Re: Who you gonna call ?

You best hurry up and register that title. I suspect there's a movie in this.

Mark 85

I'm waiting for some sort of licensing being required by some VC backed company. I guess the lawyers haven't become involved yet if for no other reason than them being blood-sucking undead.

Sky regulators brace for millions of Xmas toy drone sales

Mark 85

Hope?

the aviation regulator hopes new dronies will read and obey the law of the skies.

Well we all know about how hoping in one hand, doing something nasty in the other and seeing which will fill up faster will turn out.

HMS Queen Lizzie formally joins the Royal Navy

Mark 85

Well... job done then. One carrier ready to go. Pity there's not much to fly off it yet, but that's the way it goes lately. I'm guessing that by the time the aircraft are ready for the carrier, it'll be time to build a new carrier.

I do have to wonder what your government was thinking about when planning this. Not like any aircraft in recent history has been delivered on time and fully operational. There should have been cats and cables for aircraft in the inventory or at least operational.

Capita appoints back bencher baroness as non exec director

Mark 85

So my suspicion that politicians and mandarins are rewarded for what they do in office once they leave could actually be correct.

That's true in every government... a mantra as it were. In many cases, they are rewarded while still in office.

UK.gov failing to prevent £10bn of annual online fraud, say MPs

Mark 85

Re: Amber Fucking Rudd

I've had enough, seriously. Anything *anything* is better that the current batch of shit-for-brains.

Be careful of what you wish for... very careful indeed. Lately, all government officials (not just in the UK) are shit-for-brains. If history runs it's course, the next batch will be equally bad or worse.