* Posts by Wzrd1

2260 publicly visible posts • joined 7 Dec 2012

Plan 9 moves out from Lucent licence space

Wzrd1 Silver badge

Re: how would this go on phablets ?

Thinking the same and for embedded.

IT'S ALIVE! China's Jade Rabbit rover RETURNS from the DEAD

Wzrd1 Silver badge

Re: Good news

Or worse, stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Best of luck restoring the rover to function, PRC!

Trials of 'Iron Man' military exoskeleton due in June

Wzrd1 Silver badge

Re: Another case of bullshit from the military?

"Hey, we've got this exo-thingy ready to trial, we're just looking for a military grade extension lead that'll plug in to the nearest working wall socket we find on the battlefield. Ideally, it'll come with adapters for US, UK and European sockets."

Rather than something like, "Hey, we have this whiz-bang suit that requires X amount of energy to drive it. What do you experts out there have to fit the bill?"

Something that has been done since we first developed technology and have only increased doing.

Or do you honestly think that NASA designed and built all of those rockets and modules? That radar magically got better on government research alone?

Hell, if he gives me a suit to keep, I'll come up with the energy source gratis.

Better yet, after initial delivery, I'll take a second suit to up-armor and add integrated weapons systems for it. They're welcome to purchase the improvements back and keep them.

But, I'll keep the first suit.

This arthritis and assorted other injuries acquired over decades of military service rather sucks.

I'll have to check out their energy and logistical requirements.

Dr Hurricane unleashes FUSION POWER at Livermore nuke lab

Wzrd1 Silver badge

Re: Bad description of the process

"No, they built this immense hammer to explode their stick of fusion-dynamite. It takes lots of energy to lift the hammer, and the hammer blow blows the dynamite all over the place with a very little bang. But they hope that if they fiddle with the hammer a bit, they can get a few more dynamite grains to explode."

Rather apt. I'd have said that they made a skyscraper sized bonfire to light that fuse, getting a few grains of dynamite to explode.

I'm wondering though, why they try to utterly eliminate all turbulence, rather than capitalizing upon that turbulence to add pressure into sections of the plasma stream, which then fuse, expand, add more energy into the mix, adding more turbulence.

Rather than eliminating turbulence, guide and support it in designated areas.

Stars do it trivially. Regrettably, we don't have the gravity to help us with that, but we can scale forces as required. We can substitute momentum over pure, brute force of gravity.

Whoever manages to get all of the traded off values to combine in an efficient manner with significant gain over input energy will be the one who finally answers the question of fusion power and should be remembered by humanity until the heat death of the universe!

Kaspersky rips The Mask from sneaky Spanish spy campaign

Wzrd1 Silver badge

Re: Professional?

"I'm eagerly awaiting the clarification that the OSX and Linux variants still require the user to accept the install and provide the root password "

Why? There have been a number of drive-by malware installations, phishing attacks that were successful, etc all that needed no rooting of the device.

Adremorrhoid is notorious for lousy security. As is Crapple's iBone.

And for the record, I have a Windows fartphone, Adremorrhoid fartphone and Crapple fartphone (or is that iFartphone?). I've examined their stock security settings in detail.

I was quite underwhelmed. Though, there has been improvement over the past few years.

You conflate the desktop/server OS with the same level of security in the mobile product, a bad comparison in the extreme.

When they goobered them down, they created C'est ta merde security.

Wzrd1 Silver badge

Re: Careto is not Mask

""Mask" in English is "Careta". "Careto" is a slang term that means an exaggerated facial expression, usually ugly, in reaction to something highly unexpected or unusual."

Or, a matched transliteration with a language speaker whose language would miss those nuances.

Leaving them to name the software to imply a sour face when the phish attack was finally discovered.

The source code usually gives indicators on who wrote it. Each writing team has their own style, it's quite a lot like fingerprints.

Wzrd1 Silver badge

"Wouldn't one be just as "professional" without state sponsorship, when the personal "risks" are likely greater?"

One problem with that. All of the professional level compromises like this so far have all been from professional, nation state supported or operated entities.

To create one, all fresh and new, keep it professional at a level on a peer with known nation state entities is like shaking a box with watch components in it, opening it up and finding a perfectly assembled, perfectly timed Swiss watch.

The learning curve is just that steep.

'Wind power causes climate change' shown to be so much hot air

Wzrd1 Silver badge

Re: Death by a thousand cuts

SFO was a bad example. Any California airport is, that region is semi-arid.

PHL isn't a great example, but adapting the model works. PHL (my local airport, about a mile away from my home) was built up from swampland. That is actually worse, as a large and growing airport was taken from a watershed and wetland.

Still, urban heat island effects and the contribution from air conditioning have been incredibly well studied for many decades. CO2 levels have been studied directly and from captured air pockets in ice that was captured tens of thousands of years ago, other air samples were captured in various other substances and all have been measured.

Frankly, the only ones who argue against global climate change aren't climatologists, but instead are scientists who are not climatologists (the best "study" I saw was one that had anyone who had a B.S. degree called a scientist, apparently, a nurse is a climatologist, as is a mechanical engineer!) that were funded directly by think tanks that have their funding traced to petrochemical companies.

Sorry, but I'll not trust the wolf's think tank telling me that my sheep are safe around wolves, especially when the animal husbandry scientists all tell me otherwise (as well as history).

Boffins hose down fiery Li-ion batteries with industrial lubricant

Wzrd1 Silver badge

Re: Great up to 200 degrees C then what?

By the time the electrolyte begins to decompose and release fluorine compounds, the battery case itself has already been decomposing into phosgene and cyanide compounds. Both of which are equally nasty, with phosgenes actually having similar symptoms of lung injury minutes to hours after exposure.

Of course, if your vehicle has a fire under the bonnet, most people tend to rapidly depart the vehicle! If unconscious, most bystanders remove the unconscious person from the potentially soon to be immolated vehicle.

When you add in the paucity of electrolyte in a battery compared to everything else that is flammable, your concerns are unwarranted. Just as a concern about breathing in hydrogen gas from a lead-acid cell decomposition and having it ignited by an electrical fire isn't of concern in a motor vehicle battery malfunction.

The ones to worry about would be workers in a battery plant, maintenance workers and others who may be occupationally exposed to much higher concentrations than someone would be in a casual accident or malfunction of a single device. In an enclosed space or with dozens to hundreds, the exposure that was miniscule suddenly is severe.

But, that is what risk analysis and risk mitigation are for.

Wzrd1 Silver badge

Re: Great up to 200 degrees C then what?

First, you have to heat it to a temperature that causes it to decompose. That happens to be 100 degrees C higher than its maximum rated temperature.

Second, that you think that the common food ingredient, sodium nitrite is a carcinogen shows us all that your knowledge of chemistry is woefully lacking.

Especially since sodium nitrite has no carcinogenic potential, but nitrosamines do. The fix for that? Don't overcook or burn, then eat meat cured in sodium nitrite. Or add vitamin C, vitamin E or a similar antioxidant to the meat when curing it.

As an addendum, there is a big difference between one compound and a paint containing it in terms of toxicity, decomposition due to thermal extremes, etc.

Fridge vendor pegged as likely source of Target breach

Wzrd1 Silver badge

Re: So contractor -->Suppliers system --> stores core systems -->POS system

Let's try a different model, just for giggles.

The contractor came in and did the work. They logged onto networked assets and logged out again.

Somehow, those credentials became available to a criminal, who logged into those assets and did the dirty work.

No same VLAN scenario, but an asset availability issue.

What still isn't known was, was the initial entry physically on premises? Was the initial entry external?

In short, was there a criminal working for the contractor? Was malware installed on contractor equipment, such as a notebook computer?

I've done my share of security evaluation. I've done more than my share of information security protection.

To be honest, this avenue was incredibly well planned. It wasn't the usual picking of the lowest hanging fruit.

It's as likely that Target had most of what is expected in segmented network protection in place, IDS/IPS in place and a ducks in a row, only to be banged by a zero day exploit that was employed in a precisely timed manner. It's less likely that Target simply ignored all security precautions that are common in today's networks.

It's also likely that Target skimped in expense in network security, nearly everyone does, even the US DoD for some installations (I was on two that suffered from budgets too short for full implementation of requirements). One isn't being cheap, one performs a risk analysis and works from there.

And no, I'm not defending Target. I'm simply saying, there *really* is insufficient information to make an educated assessment of what happened.

And still, bloody hell...

Because, as I recall, the criminal or an associate apparently was asking around on how to crack the crypto protecting the data itself.

We might finally find out once the litigation is finished.

I'm just glad that I'm not one of the security officers for Target, that was a lot of overtime recovering from the breach and even more answering a lot of hard questions.

What stinks about this is that companies won't divulge the full details of a breach, as they're trying to protect themselves against litigation. That weakens all.

Wzrd1 Silver badge

Re: Material Constants

"In other words, Target may blame a 3rd party for a backdoor, but it's Target that had the responsibility of protection and control."

Which is why Target is pointing fingers at the HVAC company, in an attempt to at least share the burden of litigation.

But, that will be of limited efficacy, as Target will end up litigating against the HVAC company to attempt to recover damages, the HVAC company will defend itself by reminding the jury that Target had the penultimate responsibility for protection and control.

Looking at this situation, as an information security professional, I lack enough detailed information to make a fully informed determination, but it most certainly does look damning for Target.

As an American whose daughter was shopping in the middle of that massive breach, I can only say, "Bloody hell"!

One ponders if a simple misspelling in job qualifications was made.

After all, if boffin is instead spelt buffoon...

Sorry, had to lighten the mood a bit.

Getting documents all too easy for Snowden

Wzrd1 Silver badge

So, every intelligence agency in the US was lambasted for not sharing information before 9-11. So, they were ordered by Bush to share information freely.

Now, they're criticized for sharing that information.

But then, the press has an extremely short memory.

CERN outlines plan for new 100km circumference supercollider

Wzrd1 Silver badge

Re: Is that really the best place to build these things?

I was initially thinking of the moon, but I think you're right.

Mars would be perfect. Only a few gravitational anomalies to work around.

Then again, a Jovian linear collider would be workable, in the flux pipe between Io and Jupiter.

Think big or go home in science!

Wzrd1 Silver badge

Re: Oh no!

"This one will create a black hole for sure."

Only for finances.

For science, it'll be illuminating.

As well as for anyone witnessing a collision personally. ;)

First man/machine nerve grafts restore amputee's sense of touch

Wzrd1 Silver badge

Re: glad to see those minds put to good use

"Glasses/contact lenses"

"False teeth"

Go away, son. You bother me.

Intra-ocular implants. Got one, getting ready for another, due to trauma induced cataracts.

Dental implants.

Notice the implant part?

Not glasses and false teeth?

Though, I could use a few dental implants, due to the deleterious effects of my experiences over the handful of decades of harsh duties...

Aw, screw that! I need a full body transplant.

Wzrd1 Silver badge

Re: glad to see those minds put to good use

Due to the "grueling surgery" constraints, I suspect that it'll be put to good use.

Well, save in the US, where only the wealthy limb losers will get one.

Still, I honestly thought I'd be long retired before I got to see this development! Tactile feedback has long been in its infancy! Now, it's in its toddlerhood!

As annoying a time as it is to live in, politically and socially, it's really a great time to live in technologically in terms of witnessing major advances.

Who knows? We might all yet get to witness the Grand Unified Theory of Stupidity formulated.

Not sure who'll get it yet. The US, Russia or North Korea. Though, I'll give the PRC points for trying at times, though it's largely been a half-hearted attempt.

Optical computing a step closer with SINGLE-MOLECULE LED

Wzrd1 Silver badge

One potential use, once perfected

Optical computing.

Less conductors between components, more light signalling between components.

NASA quandary: Should Curiosity channel Fast and Furious for Martian dune-buggy jump?

Wzrd1 Silver badge

Re: So, they landed it in a hole...

No dozer blade, but there are tools that could slowly excavate a path at the top of the escarpment.

Or to probe the sand ahead on the dune.

NASA is really, really good at going slow and careful.

Greenland glacier QUADRUPLES speed, swells seas

Wzrd1 Silver badge

Re: ReduceGHGs

As seen in a previous posting, some will ignore all data, especially data that is verifiable.

You know, thinks like Archimedes' principle?

Instead they'll claim that the sea swells with heat or some other bullshit.

Oh well, we'll continue as usual, I'll end up with beach front property and be laughing when London and Wall Street go under the waves, much to the great consternation of the wealthy business masters of the masses.

Boffins tell ALIEN twin-sunned planets: You're adopted

Wzrd1 Silver badge

Re: "something is wrong in the simulations" @BB

Close orbit is hostile for forming stars as well.

Wzrd1 Silver badge

"Not necessarily. It's not clear from this story, but the planets might have been formed much further out and then migrated inwards."

Or the binary system closed distance after the stars formed, dragging their planets along.

Unmanned, autonomous ROBOT TRUCK CONVOY 'drives though town'

Wzrd1 Silver badge

Re: Commuting sucks.

There are also MOUT sites built like urban Germany, back from the Cold War days.

Complete with storm drain systems.

Elderly Bletchley Park volunteer sacked for showing Colossus exhibit to visitors

Wzrd1 Silver badge

Well, I'm open to negotiate a satisfactory solution. Well, to the public and technical folk.

I will insist on having Royal authority to bulldoze the entire lot.

I'll also threaten, to the point of having workmen stage with equipment.

Whoever balks may win the day.

Worst case scenario, neither will have custody or responsibility and a third organization will be selected.

Probably one staffed by the former staff of both the site and the organization that is being remembered, the latter being a diminishing number, to the great loss of the entire world.

In a lose-lose situation, people start to find common ground, if faced with a significant loss.

Especially one in a loss of standing and lost face.

Of course, I would be willing to actually turn the bulldozer onto the site.

After removing everything, even the woodwork.

To later, at the expense of the two asshole organizations, be reconstructed.

Brick by brick, nail by nail.

NASA probe orbiting Moon sights ANOTHER SPACECRAFT

Wzrd1 Silver badge

Re: "... a spacecraft flying over the Moon ..."

I'll snip, by a fuck ton, as it was a rather long tirade.

"but if it's been very long I'm nearly certain you've heard someone call the box/tower/enclosure of a desktop the 'processor'."

Whenever they did, I rapidly corrected them. It is a COMPUTER. If they repeat that error, I'm enough of a BOFH to pull the processor out and hand it to the offender, ESD be damned. They'll also end up paying for that processor.

How about calling a server(s) a 'mainframe'? It's a sure sign that person is about to say something confirming the rest of your time with them is going to absolutely suck.

I've *never* heard technical staff call a server a mainframe. That is grounds for immediate dismissal, as they have no fucking clue as to what the hell they are talking about and most likely, no clue what they are doing.

"In physical engineering you'll hear people talk about the 'strength' or 'strength to weight ratio' of a material "

May the negligent landlord almighty suddenly acquire interest to help them, for I'll bombard them on what strength they're speaking of. Tensile? Shear? Longitudinal? Compression? I could go on, but it'd be boorish.

Any asshole who tries that one with me has a really, *really* bad day. They also never get to waste my time again.

"With ultra obscure fields it isn't that important, because nobody understands what those people do anyway."

That *is* my career, currently. I work in information security.

My first and primary job really is education!

"Pick any national political figure talking about more jobs in (sector)"

Who the fuck really listens to politicians? Their only real skill is being reelected! Otherwise, they'd be in careers that contribute *and* make far better money and far less having to remember which damned lie they told yesterday.

"Nuclear Waste vs High Level Nuclear Waste."

Six of one, a half dozen of the other. It all comes down to storage methods and willingness to reprocess the shit.

Of course, managing to get through the "Not in *MY* neighborhood" bullshit (when many of the same type of idiot live in such a neighborhood anyway.

"I can NIMBY the new facility out of existence or I can support it. I bill $5k/hr for corporate policy work and $20k/hr (one hour minimum) for public appearances. "

Good for you! I am envious! Well, not envious enough to want to make public appearances. I far prefer to speak to and with professionals, not Athenian idiots.

That said, I'm honestly not entirely certain that we agree or that you know what you're going on about.

I'll continue, as I was previously a BOFH, who cowed the devil into subservience.

OK, I just enjoy being difficult and have nothing more constructive to do on a Sunday night.

Being married for over 32 years tends to eliminate a personal life.

"My body language and simple 10 word statements will let me keep them and knock you down every time you pop up."

You're not the only person around who knows those techniques. That I choose to not address the public does not mean I am incapable of doing so.

A few cutting comments can trivially undermine your point within seconds.

One just needs to be willing to be a dick.

I'm a father, a grandfather and a former senior NCO. I have no problem being a dick when required to.

Worse, I'll use folksy terms, creative metaphors and other endearing traits to win the audience. It wouldn't be my first rodeo, it shan't be my last.

"That's obviously a bit convoluted, the details of particulate transport via short term molecular bonding will only put your audience in a coma. All I have to explain is how radioactive materials get into groundwater and end up inside your baby because when you boiled baby's bottles to sterilize them for mommy's breast milk their state was plasticized long enough to trap millions of tiny little nuclear reactors in the bottles."

I'll pull a lead fishing weight from my pocket. Or a mercury thermometer. I have both onhand.

I'll remark how horrifically toxic both are. Then ask the audience why I'm not dead.

As I said, one comment undermining. Add in pictures of my grandchildren holding the same items, I've won, you have to really work hard now.

"My point is, that without correct and precise language, you are needlessly destabilizing any point you are trying to make."

Bullshit. You speak to your audience. In this forum, technical people are the primary audience.

In forums where non-technical people abound, you "Goober it down". I've taught combat engineers and infantry how to administer drugs, initiate IV's and test and purify water. All rather complex, technical subjects. You address the audience at their level, explain in simplified terms what and why.

I never told infantry to check for turbidity and clarity of the water sample, I said, "Look to see if it's clear, are there any sea monkeys in it?"

Two decades later, I had men come up to me and mention that wording. Not a one had a water borne disease outbreak.

"Why do you think that elected officials and corporate executives rarely say anything in public that resembles normal Human speech; Nobody actually talks like that."

I'll nitpick there. Since nobody speaks like that, elected officials and corporate executives don't speak that way by your very sentence.

Now, "regular people" don't speak that way, "professionals don't speak that way" would be more accurate, but I'm being both pedantic and being a prick.

Largely due to the TLDR bit that I obviously have read.

"Lastly, using the correct language is simply good manners and a sign of respect to those who practice in those professions. Personally, I find it just atrociously insulting when people challenge/question the abilities of individuals in a field, but don't even make an attempt to get the language correct."

In that, I fully agree!

"I don't have people telling me what to do anymore,"

Bullshit. If you speak in a public forum by invitation and for pay, there are things that you can and may be told are out of bounds. Violate those terms, you shan't be speaking in public for very long on a financially remunerated basis.

"I don't have people telling me what to do anymore, but for the many decades that I did I never forgot the truly black, soul crushing hatred I had for my first direct corporate manager. He could not, or would not, acknowledge the difference between an empty field and a null field. We were integrating the systems of a company we had acquired into our own and even I understood we had been screwed. It was grammar school database design, comprised of more null's than complete data. Just broken, not fixable, totally fucked in other ways too. This ass threatens my job and tells me how he wants the integration done. Exactly how he wants it done. The level of detail was phenomenal and his charts were beautiful. They were indispensable six weeks later as I was defending my job and explaining how a company with zero system wide downtime in 10+ years was completely nonoperational for five days."

Been there, done that. But, I crushed the asshole by having him explain a null field and empty field. Repeatedly, in different orders to trip the asshole up.

Thankfully, I've never gotten a five day outage, half a day was bad enough and took a lot of scrambling to recover from.

But then, another thing about me is this: At my last long term gig, one NA/SA had complimented me thus:

"Steve, when you started, two years ago, I thought you were the plumber coming in to fix the toilet. Now, we *all* come to you for answers and we did even then."

I love to be underestimated. I'm quite bright. I also know how to look things up and learn quickly.

I also did fix the toilet, as it quickly started to piss me off. Being in a desert was bad enough, having a broken toilet was intolerable.

Though, I did let the plumber take credit.

My father was a tradesman, I learned a lot of things from him.

"I've had staff that didn't like me and I've had staff that thought I was stupid and they were better fits for my job, but never, not once in so very many years, have I not taken the time to at least understand the basics and try use the proper language with my staff."

Same here. I'd set aside what I was doing just to help them all out. Whenever I needed help, I had a full court press assisting.

When I started my information security duties, I included the PC break-fix shop, the LAN/WAN shop and help desk in on threat briefings, with specifics, as cleared. Much of that was classified, so each audience was addressed as permissible.

Cooperation was automatic once the problems were understood.

"Appropriate and precise language, and the consistent application of its rules, allows you draw boundaries around a topic and keep the discussion within those boundaries. "

I'm a prick that way. Even if I'm speaking with a stone mason about concrete, I'll stay technically correct.

Of course, my father did educate me in that field as well.

My life is that of an information sponge. Learn all that is learn-able, for knowledge is power.

But, one also addresses an audience to its capabilities and comprehension.

Hence, some will always know to look through water and also try to see sea monkeys. And the proper concentration of chlorine. And the proper PH. And sedimentation factor.

Even if they didn't comprehend those numbers and what they actually meant.

Or, "eventually, he'll run out of that nasty red stuff. Then, we'll have a real problem, well, *he* will, anyway. You'll just have a lot of explaining to do to your and his buddies."

Wzrd1 Silver badge

Re: "... a spacecraft flying over the Moon ..."

"I'm sure it's not actually flying."

True enough. It's actually *falling*, but due to altitude and velocity, it's missing the moon.

There's a knack to flying. One falls and misses the ground.

Space programs call that orbiting.

Wzrd1 Silver badge

Re: Quick fire shutter

"With most of the necessary traditional skills becoming lost arts those who practice them are fairly well doomed as a career professional in the field of fabricating moon exploration evidence. It's all quite sad."

Yes, it's very sad. With all of those funny looking dune buggies wandering about on Mars.

Wzrd1 Silver badge

Re: Am I the only one

"Michael J Fox could hold a camera steadier than most of these UFO hunters."

Somehow, I suspect that Michael would agree with you.

Wzrd1 Silver badge

"there are thousands of ufo videos on youtube, NASA space camera blur and fuzz would be hard to fake on its own, some of them are probably real"

Funny, I've personally saw UFO's that were real.

They were identified as objects that "You didn't see that and that is a direct order."

AKA, classified military aircraft.

Some of which are well established to operate out of Old Blighty.

Wzrd1 Silver badge

Re: Lawsuit

"Why? it's just the Starfleet emblem being covered up by NASA again."

Stop being silly. It's just an old model Culture drone monitoring Earth. We *are* in the control group.

The TRUTH about LEAKY, STALKING, SPYING smartphone applications

Wzrd1 Silver badge

"I don't believe it. What was their methodology? Can we have a link to this study?"

I find it interesting that where the data is going wasn't documented in depth.

Or at all, really.

Wzrd1 Silver badge

"Apple have already borged most of our twenty somethings!"

Funny, I'm 52, I own two iphones, two ipods, a Windows fartphone and android tablets and smartphones.

My desktop and server OS's are Linux, NetBSD, Windows and Solaris.

So, am I "borged"? Or do I use each OS to its desired and designed purpose?

Frankly, the lot of them are shit, save for *BSD, whose developers are so stodgy that new fangled things have to be around for a half decade before the kernel has support for them.

Teeny, tiny state machine could BREATHE NEW LIFE into Moore's Law

Wzrd1 Silver badge

Re: "...the non-profit military contractor..."

Look up what you're blathering about.

The author should as well.

MITRE contracts for more than the DoD, but perhaps the author thinks that the FAA, IRS, VA, federal courts and medicaid/medicare are all DoD.

Wzrd1 Silver badge

Re: Seriously though, nice tech but what is this obsession with Moore's "Law"?

Actually, it was that the number of transistors on a chip double every two years.

Something that has held true since the term was first coined.

Got a TorMail account to avoid Uncle Sam's web snoops? About that...

Wzrd1 Silver badge

Re: Anyone..

"It isn't impossible that Tor is, end to end, an intergovernment security honeypot."

Or became one.

Add enough nodes, you own it anyway.

Fancy a little kinky sex? GCHQ+NSA will know - thanks to Angry Birds

Wzrd1 Silver badge

"They can claim the contrary all they want, and they can cite the Supreme Court as much as they please..."

As much as you dislike it, the fact remains that the founding fathers desired the SCOTUS to decide what the law actually means.

Regrettably, Scalia decided that the fifth amendment is a privilege in a recent decision.

But, do what you want. Ignore case law. Enjoy our prisons.

They're lousy with folks who think that they know the law, based purely upon an ill educated opinion on what the Constitution says.

Wzrd1 Silver badge

Re: So, of course...

"Our pissy little game needs access to your e-mail, your location, your contacts list, your photographs, your fingerprints, your blood group..."

You missed the iris pattern and DNA sample.

Wzrd1 Silver badge

Re: Dove from above

Only one finger to see, though it's not one for polite company.

Just ignore the wink.

Wzrd1 Silver badge

I'd install it too.

There's one thing worse than disinformation, dysinformation.

And I can be astoundingly difficult when I wish to be.

China's Jade Rabbit moon rover might have DIED in the NIGHT after 'abnormality'

Wzrd1 Silver badge

Re: Considering...

What is really funny is, how many here consider it a quality control issue.

It could as easily be one of the same type of glitches that everyone else gets in their space missions.

The last thing they want to ever do is reboot, it's a case of "What if the damned thing doesn't boot up again?".

Of course, it could also be that the mechanical hand got stuck while trying to give a three finger salute.

Walking while texting can – OUCH! – end badly, say boffins

Wzrd1 Silver badge

Re: No shit, sherlock!

"...and Bears poo in the woods..."

Well, there are numerous studies on that one, complete with an analysis of what the bear ate and what the residue was like.

Now, there's a study on idiots wandering about not watching where they're walking.

Test me, you'll see normal walking. When walking or driving about, it's a hearty "screw whoever it is" while I moving about.

They can damned well wait for me to get where I'm going.

Herschel boffins spot fat dwarf Ceres in TEARS over astro-identity crisis

Wzrd1 Silver badge

Re: How sublime . . .

No magnetic field on either planet, so the hydrogen would be lost to space by the solar wind.

Wzrd1 Silver badge

Re: "largest asteroid"

We've also opened a small saloon there, "The Last Chance Saloon".

Hydrogen, oxygen, water, all good, but space is nowhere to waste time without ethanol!

It relieves the tedium of those long trips and all that "Are we there yet?" nonsense.

Wzrd1 Silver badge

Re: says

Sorry, the fuel depot sprang a minor leak. We'll be getting it sealed and things tidied up before your ship can arrive.

Well, assuming you ever *do* get your lazy butts off of that rock of yours.

US card scammers pull $2m petrol heist

Wzrd1 Silver badge

Re: ATM Limit

Beats me, the usual max I've seen in the US has been $600 daily maximum, anything over requires special dispensation of the money pope.

$10k is totally out. However, transfers have a different limit, with some institutions having no limitation for some accounts. But, one isn't transferring funds into an account that is not one's own at an ATM.

Wzrd1 Silver badge

Re: "third-degree money laundering"

It's interesting that state charges were filed, as it was a federal crime as well.

Of course, both federal and state charges could easily be filed for the ringleaders. RICO statute, computer crimes act, etc.

Naw, they didn't rip off a corporation or wealthy person, so they'll get the minimal treatment. Had they ripped of a large corporation or one of the top 5%, they'd get the deluxe treatment of state and federal charges, with sentences applied consecutively.

Wzrd1 Silver badge

Re: If found guilty

Let's see now, federal crime, federal charges, federal prison.

Most likely, Leavenworth. They're not white collar criminals, so no club fed for them.

DOOMSDAY still just MINUTES AWAY: As it has been since 1947

Wzrd1 Silver badge

Re: So the problem is

Yeah, because scientists agree that pumping shitloads of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere isn't a problem at all, nuclear reactors is.

I guess some scientists want us to move back into caves.

Boffins: Antarctic glacier in irreversible decline, will raise sea levels by 1cm

Wzrd1 Silver badge

Re: How commentards do science: word analysis on a writeup by El Reg

I love how El Reg switches state like a nice flip flop. One story about how climate change isn't happening, another how it is.

Oh well, gotta keep the advertisers happy, I guess.

Rather like the US political leadership, the best government that money can buy.

Modern spying 101: How NSA bugs Chinese PCs with tiny USB radios - NYT

Wzrd1 Silver badge

It's in the chairs!

They run off and get new chairs.

It's in the mousepads!

New mousepads.

It's in the monitor!

New monitors.

It's in the keyboards!

New keyboards, just for the hell of it, new computers.

It's in your glasses!

New glasses.

It's in...

The NSA swoops in on the going out of business sale.