* Posts by OvAl

20 publicly visible posts • joined 9 Aug 2013

Leaked: The UK's secret blueprint with telcos for mass spying on internet, phones – and backdoors

OvAl

Smoke and mirrors

I hate to break it to ya'll. Especially as you most likely know it anyhow, but this really isn't worth wasting typing time on. Unless of course, you want to spend time discussing the finer points of a certain level of civil servants keeping themselves amused.

There is no online security, once you're on you are out there, and nothing devised so far is inaccessible, or unbreakable to those that have the gear and will to do it. And certain entities have a lot of gear. And they have the will.

The only way you can tell a secret, or even just have a private conversation is to talk to someone face to face, in a place that is difficult to eavesdrop.

The days of privacy, and respect for privacy are gone - if such a time ever existed.

In fact its ludicrous notion to expect to be connect to the 'world' (not the nice one on the other side of your office window) and to assume that those connections aren't monitored. It's like walking down the street naked, and not expecting anyone to notice you have a little tinkle.

So go take a walk, get some fresh air, accept that this technology doesn't only empower you. Just remember to put some clothes on

MYSTERY RADIO SIGNAL picked up from BEYOND our GALAXY

OvAl

“We record 8-bit full-polarization data from two orthogonal linear feeds per beam, with 1024 frequency channels over 400 MHz of bandwidth, from 1182 to 1582 MHz, and 64-μs time resolution”

...that sounds so much cooler than _any_ part of my job, Today's mission is to insert this quote - either in part or in its entirety - into today's weekly team meeting.

Cable guy, Games of Thrones chap team up to make Reg 'best sci-fi film never made' reject

OvAl

It's all good....

...I'm happy and willing to see any new Sci-fi movies or mini-series being produced, they can't all be winners but the genre (in my eyes at least) has got to be better than the normal mindless fodder we are served.

They might have bitten off more then they can chew with this one, the 'strengths' of this book, to me anyhow, were the political and social changes that the move to Mars engendered, and the monumental task of terraforming. Not sure if that amount of twists and detail can be transfered to screen with much success.

What I'm really waiting for is a movie of Joe Haldeman's 'The forever war', which is simply an outstanding book, and has the plot and pace that I think could fit well to a visual medium.

Ever get the impression a telesales op was being held prisoner?

OvAl

...surely only for the worst crimes.

Cruel and unusual punishment?

I think I'd choose a life of crime over call-centre work. Better hours, better pay...and I'm not even sure what the karma quotient is between wasting peoples time and selling people stuff they don't want, or simply robbing them.

I have serious doubts that any person (nevermind those of a criminal bent) could spend more than a few hours working in a call centre and think anything other than - lets get the f*ck out of here

Korean boffins launch K-Glass for hands-free Google Glass-ery

OvAl
Childcatcher

Re: Did you try it?

Mm, have a look in most living rooms up and down any country of an evening and I pretty much guarantee that you see people staring at the goggle-box and not communicating...And the other points you mention are not precisely comparing apples with apples.

But I see what you're getting at: That new tech can be feared and often misunderstood but in the end is assimilated with no harm done.

Time will tell I suppose, but I'd hate to be a kid growing up in a world where these things have taken off in a big way...I mean, how can you form your own idea of the world if you're being assailed in what could become a very subtle way, with info/alerts of what other people should think you should find interesting.

OvAl

Re: Isn't normal reality good enough?

I agree with you, and I do wonder where this will all end up. The current trend being foisted upon us seems to me to be to live your own life vicariously...any experience that isn't shared through social media or recorded in someway isn't deemed valid.

These specs of course, could be a useful tool - for example, to learn a language by looking at an object and getting the translation on screen - but instead, it's going to only be a mode to sell you more stuff.

Instead of having billboards on street corners and posters in shop windows, _everywhere_ we look when wearing these could be co-opted into some marketing campaign.

Unmanned, autonomous ROBOT TRUCK CONVOY 'drives though town'

OvAl

Re: "... nobody wants to be colonel of a load of robot trucks."

...and the Colonel couldn't tell whether being in charge of a fleet of robo-trucks would be a great feather in his cap, or a terrible, terrible black eye.

India's grip on offshoring eases ever so slightly

OvAl

I had the exact same situation. I lost my team to an economy drive by a newly installed MD 'making his mark'. He disappeared within 18 months to another company - no doubt spreading his magic touch to those poor souls.

The only saving grace for the remaining management that helped implemented thisfiasco, was that they recognised their folly after 2 years of disastrous service levels and brought support back home to Blighty.

Might have saved a few quid, but did nothing for our reputation, or our customers. Or my poor colleagues that lost their job.

During the transition to the outsourcing company (a long and protracted, painful affair) we interviewed each of the workers. It became blindingly obvious within 10 minutes (including pre-amble waffle time) that apart from a single solid candidate, they didn't really have any useful knowledge or experience. The majority of qualifications they held were dished out in-house.

London Underground cleaners to refuse fingerprint clock-on

OvAl

Haha, okay. I actually had in mind - when refering to my lack of dignity - the fact that I have kids and walked around for most of the day last week with a fire-engine sticker on my backside. But read it how you wish, I'd hate for you not to have an opportunity to get on your high-horse.

But it stands, in my eyes. I can't see how this reduces anyones dignity one bit. It's a method of logging the beginning and end of a working day. Nobody is brutalised either, and union's using high-handed language for such a thing turns me off any sympathy I could possibly generate for this.

OvAl

'...staff felt "brutalised" by the system, which made them feel like "slabs of meat"'

and...

'infringed the cleaners' "dignity"'

...give me a break.

My concern, if this system was implemented at my place of work, would simply be for the security of the bio-metric data. I wouldn't feel 'brutalised' in the slightest...and my dignity went out of the window a long time ago.

iPhone 5S: Apple, you're BORING us to DEATH (And you too, Samsung)

OvAl

The use of the indefinite article could land you in trouble there in these nutty times.

Still things have moved on since I was little, used to be a bag of sweets

Should Nominet ban .uk domains that use paedo and crim-friendly words?

OvAl

They jest surely

This is pretty bone-headed. I'm sure they can't have thought it through...

Do they think that banning such words will stymie the pervy perpetrators? As if it's the keywords themselves that carry the power of the act?

Or is it more likely, as has been suggested above, that new words will be adopted and the world will continue as before.

Or perhaps I am missing the point, and they merely wish for words tainted by this association not to be present on a url...which seems rather unfair to the 99.9999999% of people who might wish to use them for non-nefarious purposes.

Headmaster calls cops, tries to dash pupil's uni dreams - over a BLOG

OvAl

A quick temper will make a fool of you soon enough

I can only imagine the head suffered from a prolonged fit of pique. I imagine he's having a rather momentous 'oh no!' moment around about now.

The kids language is uncouth, no doubt, but he isn't doing anything wrong. He just seems to be finding his feet in a rather obnoxious and expansive way. All part of growing up.

It's official: Apple sends out invitations for September 10 event

OvAl

Whores will have their trinkets

Acorn’s would-be ZX Spectrum killer, the Electron, is 30

OvAl

Re: My First...

My first also...I still remember trying hard not show my disappointment when it was proudly unveiled by my old man, who informed me that he'd chosen it over the spectrum as it had a better keyboard. The truth can be cruel, and little consolation to the ungrateful sprog that I was.

Still, first cut my teeth in programming on it , and honed my reactions speed on Frogger.

20 injured at LG phone giveaway as PR stunt turns into riot

OvAl

...and it might also be interesting to learn why you are such an attractive target for heavy-metal drummers

Snowden's secure email provider Lavabit shuts down under gag order

OvAl

Misread by the media

<quote> ...to become complicit in crimes against the American people ..</quote>

I get the feeling he means something different here that what it at first appears. I looks to me, taking in account the measure and tone of his other statements, they he's pointing this particular statement at the unconstitutional actions of the estabilishment, not Snowden.

Could be wrong, could be right. Eitherway, all media outlets I've looked at regarding this news have quoted this without further context, seeming assuming he's talking about the man, not the Man.