* Posts by Patrician

481 publicly visible posts • joined 20 Sep 2013

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Finally in the UK: Apollo 11 lands... in a cinema near you

Patrician
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Re: Amazing...

Nicely put Lee.

Patrician

Re: Amazing...

Ignoring the rest of your post for the moment, this part ... "In addition, their lift-off is hilarious. They couldn't fire anything like boosters in a studio, so they just pulled it up and sped up the film. Nobody would've survived those Gs. Plain out sidesplitting!" ...Is side splitting.

You've calculated the rate of assent from the film presumably? You would have to, to be able to state that they couldn't "survive those G's". So what G's have you calculated they would have been subject to?

Google's Fuchsia OS Flutters into view: We're just trying out some new concepts, claims exec

Patrician

Re: Accurate Ads

From an end user perspective, targeted advertising simply does not work, for example:-

I booked a hotel for a weekend in London, I chose the hotel in Last Minute but went straight to the hotel's website to book it as it's very often cheaper than the "bargain" sites.

From that point for the next three or four months, on any site that served targeted ads, I received an advertisement for the hotel that I'd just booked, for the same weekend I'd booked.

Now if targeted advertising actually wanted to be useful the ads I'd have seen would be for events and/or offers on in London over the weekend I'd booked. For example, £5 off Tower of London entry or a advertising a food festival in Greenwich (this was on at the time).

Targeted advertising just doesn't work in any useful way.

More households invite creepy smart speakers indoors: Arch-slurper Google top dog for Q1

Patrician

Re: Er, actually...

That was the home security and alarm system Nest Secure, not the Nest Thermostat; there is no microphone in the thermostat.

"Google confirms with Business Insider that there's no microphone in any of its flagship Nest Learning Thermostat product line "

https://www.businessinsider.com/google-nest-products-with-microphones-2019-2?r=US&IR=T

Curioser and curioser: Little Mars rover sniffs out highest ever levels of methane

Patrician

There are plentiful sources of oxygen on Mars, held within the rocks and within the sub-surface, and surface, ice for instance.

Delicious irony: Hacked medical debt collector AMCA files for bankruptcy protection from debt collectors

Patrician

Re: debt vs dead

US Citizen ends up dead if they have no money and no insurance.

The UK citizen gets free treatment at source; I'm sorry about you mum but your experience isn't mine by any stretch of the imagination.

1. My mother, diagnosed with bowel cancer Jan 2000 - starts treatment before end of same month.

2. Friends father, diagnosed with stomach cancer May 2012 - starts treatment May 2012

3. Neighbours daughter, diagnosed with breast cancer December 2016 - starts treatment December 2016

Unfortunately my mothers cancer was too far advanced to respond to treatment and she passed away the next year, but the other two are still in remission.

I know that sometimes things go wrong in the NHS but it's still way better than the US system.

Alexa, are you profiting from the illegal storage and analysis of kids' voice commands?

Patrician

But that not the same thing; you've already said the trigger word so I would expect the device to be "listening" after doing so. But the proposal above, that Alexa starts recording before the trigger words is spoken, on the off change that it will be spoken at some point in the very near future seems, to me, to be improbable.

Patrician

"Alexa record a bit before the keyword - and Amazon submitted a new patent last week, where Alexa will send several seconds of voice to the mother-ship before the keyword is spoken (presumably for "what is the weather outside, Alexa?")."

How would the device know when to start recording? It couldn't "know" that the trigger word would be coming eventually, unless Amazon have developed a working prophecy algorithm; so I'm sorry but I don't see how this could be working in the real world as it were?

Patrician

Alexa will only capture your little Jess's voice if your little Jess says "Alexa" I believe; although, if there is somebody in the same household that is named "Alexa", that could be a problem I guess.

Flight Simulator 2020: Exciting new ride or a doomed tailspin in a crowded market?

Patrician

Re: Microsoft Train Simulator

You wish has been granted:-

https://store.steampowered.com/app/24010/Train_Simulator_2019/

Google may have taken this whole 'serverless' thing too far: Outage caused by bandwidth-killing config blunder

Patrician

Re: The Cloud...

The whole internet is made up of "Other peoples computers you have no control over.".

Introducing 'freedom gas' – a bit like the 2003 deep-fried potato variety, only even worse for you

Patrician

Re: Sleep is a Good Thing(TM)

"you see colder temperatures on a cloudy day. it couldn't be more obvious that WATER _IS_ a GREENHOUSE GAS."

Actually you don't necessarily; currently the UK is looking at having the warmest days of the year so far over this weekend, a cloudy weekend by the way. Last weekend was clear skies and sunny and the temperature was less than it will be this weekend.

Patrician

Re: Sleep is a Good Thing(TM)

"just avoid warmist/alarmist propaganda, and stick to REAL science"

So avoid anywhere that doesn't confirm my pre-held beliefs; ever heard of confrontational bias?

Patrician

Re: Sleep is a Good Thing(TM)

"Can't trap what it's INVISIBLE to now, can it?"

Of course it can and this statement shows how your understanding of science is a little wanting.

Patrician

Re: Sleep is a Good Thing(TM)

"I am old enough to remember the Ozone hole layer panic - the one that said that if we don't stop the hole we were all doomed in a few years. The hole is still, slowly, increasing and more than a few years have passed. I think we're all still here."

The ozone "hole" is repairing it's self, primarily due to us stopping releasing CFC's into the atmosphere

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/nov/05/ozone-layer-healing-after-aerosols-un-northern-hemisphere

Patrician

Re: Sleep is a Good Thing(TM)

The soda in the soda can goes flat because the can is opened and the CO2 that was dissolved in the soda under pressure is released as the pressure is released. The ambient temperature has little measurable effect on this model.

Patrician

Re: Sleep is a Good Thing(TM)

Nobody has suggested that those cycles don't exist, but that human activity is increasing the volatility of those cycles by the re-introduction of CO2 that was previously locked away in coal and oil deposits.

CO2 is a greenhouse gas, that is a fact; it reduces the amount of infrared that is re-radiated from the Earths surface, causing the atmosphere to warm up.

Let's make laptops from radium. How's that for planned obsolescence?

Patrician

Re: "the fantasy bliss of climate-change denial"

Nobody "fiddled" the figures; here is the full story but not from The Daily Mail or Fox News:-

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2017/feb/09/whistleblower-i-knew-people-would-misuse-this-they-did-to-attack-climate-science

Patrician

You really wouldn't want something to evolve that can digest standard plastics.

Let adware be treated as malware, Canuck boffins declare after breaking open Wajam ad injector

Patrician

Re: Thank you for advertising your opinion.

I'm sorry but I do my utmost to not buy something that I have had a advert thrust in my face for; not always possible unfortunately. Advertisers are parasitic scum and deserve nothing less than an eternity in the flames of hell.

It's 50 years to the day since Apollo 10 blasted off: America's lunar landing 'dress rehearsal'

Patrician

Re: I'm terribly sorry (not really) that I have to be the one to pee in your crazy punch again

http://www.badastronomy.com/bad/tv/foxapollo.html

Patrician

Re: Grit

"it's about using The Scientific Method to evaluate the evidence"

Had you done the above you'd have come to a conclusion that is directly opposed to the one that you have come to.

Pushed around and kicked around, always a lonely boy: Run Huawei, Google Play, turns away, from Huawei... turns away

Patrician

Re: Isn't this a good thing finally

The "Deal breaker" will be the lack of apps available in the "store" of the new OS; people stating there are other alternatives for email and web browsing are thinking about what is available in the Google Play library. Those alternatives won't be available to Huawei if they produce their own OS.

Want a good Android smartphone without the $1,000+ price tag? Then buy Google's Pixel 3a

Patrician

Re: As an iPhone user

Going from an iPhone to an Android one that is in the £100 to £200 range would be a frustrating experience; models in that price range use lower spec hardware and will be noticeably slower in comparison to an iPhone.

Let's check in with our friends in England and, oh good, bloke fined after hiding face from police mug-recog cam

Patrician

Re: What the heck

How many children have been shot and killed in schools by those fire arms again?

Take your pick: 0/1/* ... but beware – your click could tank an entire edition of a century-old newspaper

Patrician

Re: The most dreaded word in IT...

"Oh Bugger"! is pretty much a bad sign too.

You were warned and you didn't do enough: UK preps Big Internet content laws

Patrician

"traditional media, who at least have some standards"

The Daily Mail has standards?

Netflix wants to choose its own adventure where Bandersnatch trademark case magically vanishes

Patrician

Re: Scott Adams not a precedent??

Or the Choose Your Own Adventure company and trying it on and looking for a cash payout from Netflix; if this case is valid then Choose Your Own Adventure Company owe a lot of money Infocom for breach of copyright.

When 2FA means sweet FA privacy: Facebook admits it slurps mobe numbers for more than just profile security

Patrician

Re: The 2FA isn't really optional anymore either

Unfortunately there isn't if the family members refuse to leave it.

SpaceX Crew Dragon: Launched and docked. Now, about that splashdown...

Patrician

"Going further afield requires NASA's Orion capsule, which is still a year or so away from its first SLS flight."

Or the Falcon Heavy which has actually flown.

Slow Ring Windows 10 fragged by anti-cheat software in the games you're playing at work, says Insiders supremo

Patrician

Re: Licences

"Which should be minimal. Even if you allowed for say two replacement disks per sale, and you spend the minimum effort checking the client claims, it's maybe a buck or two on top of a games price."

Which was correct in my case; CD Project Red replaced the disk free of charge.

Patrician

And that argument falls flat when CD Project Red sent me a replacement Witcher 3 disk when mine became unreadable, free of charge. All I had to do was email them a picture of the game packaging including the disk(s) .

The replacement arrived less than a week after requesting it.

And, if you "break" your disk why would you expect it to be replaced for free? if you buy anything and "break" it, would you expect it to be replaced free of charge?

There is a cost to a physical disk, not to mention the cost associated with handling and postage/packaging.

Patrician

Re: cheating

No, because you don't legally buy a game, you by a license to use that software; the only part of the "product" that you could be said to "own" is the physical media/box/slipcase that the software in on/in. This has always been the case.

Patrician

Re: cheating

It's nothing to do with "micro-transactions"; anti-cheat systems have been a part of online gaming since TFC.

PunkBuster was integrated into Return to Castle Wolfenstein. in 2001, again well before micro-transactions existed.

Amid polar vortex... Honeywell gets frosty reception after remote smart thermostat tech freezes up for a week

Patrician

Re: IOT=Crap

Same here, none of it is "necessary" but it is convenient; after all, nobody really *needs* a remote control for their TV, they could just get off their posteriors and turn on/off/change channel etc. But who would buy a new TV without a remote control these days?*

* Yes I know most remote controls don't demand internet access, but the point is still valid.

Core blimey... When is an AMD CPU core not a CPU core? It's now up to a jury of 12 to decide

Patrician

Re: FX8350 4.2ghz OC Black Edition

"Full 4K UHD with full HDR including DeepColour"

Your very lucky to get that out of a 1070, no matter what CPU you're running.

Google Play Store spews malware onto 9 million 'Droids

Patrician
Happy

Re: Do phones still have an IR port?

"Sometimes this kind of thing needs to be painful. Drives home the lesson"

I call it "stupidity tax"

Patrician

The Google Play Store did't actually "spew" malware to phones/tablets; users downloaded and installed it themselves. It wasn't something forced on users was it?

London Gatwick Airport reopens but drone chaos perps still not found

Patrician

Has there been any actual proof that these drones ever actually existed, beyond "reported sightings"?

Oz opposition folds, agrees to give Australians coal in their stockings this Christmas

Patrician
Pint

Re: And so it starts

Have a beer for the Discworld reference .....

Patrician

Are there any Australian native software that uses encryption? Surely the vast majority aren't and will just ignore any requests this bill generates because they're not subject to Australian law?

Microsoft polishes up Chromium as EdgeHTML peers into the abyss

Patrician

Re: Microsoft middle(nuisance)ware.

I vary rarely use the Start Menu any more; Windows Key and start typing the name of the software (not APP grrrrr) I want to use.

Patrician

Re: Microsoft middle(nuisance)ware.

I general I can get on with Windows 10 but not the Settings Panels; Control Panel served it's purpose perfectly well and was one place to find, pretty much, all the settings. Now there are multiple pages of badly organised links that still don't lead you to what you want.

YouTube fight gets dirty: Kids urged to pester parents over Article 13

Patrician

I'm guessing Disney, Sony et al have been dishing out wads of cash in brown envelopes to some MEP's; the TV and Movie industry is where the music industry was ten years or so ago. They need to take a look at how that worked out rather than desperately trying the same things.

Huawei MateBook Pro X: PC makers look out, the phone guys are here

Patrician

Re: I don't like the aspect ration

"....... a TV and DVD player/Streaming box combo....."

Can't be carried around on trips and used to watch films/TV in hotels.

Is Google's Pixel getting better, or just more expensive?

Patrician

Re: RE: Topperfalkon

Had a 6P that gave great service for three and a half years with no issues whatsoever.

YouTube supremo says vid-streaming-slash-piracy giant can't afford EU's copyright overhaul

Patrician

Re: So what?

While I fully agree with you with regards to the high street's eventual fate, I do wonder how you would expect the road systems to handle the traffic if, as you seem to be suggesting, there were to be a traffic/parking free for all in our towns and cites?

My local county town for instance is a complete nightmare to navigate through, as the road system just cannot handle the numbers of vehicles attempting to pass through it; if parking wasn't strictly regulated and people parked wherever they wanted, there would be gridlock within minutes.

Parking schemes, in the main, are not there "to fleece" the motorist but to attempt to keep our cities roads, "planned" in times before Mr Ford setup his factories, at least passable and keep modern traffic moving.

Huawei Mate 20 Pro: If you can stomach the nagware and price, it may be Droid of the Year

Patrician

Re: £899 - Ouch

>They all have Android 9, so they all have Project Treble.

If the manufacturer doesn't push out the updates it doesn't matter what "projects" it has installed.

Google: All right, screw it, from this Christmas, Chrome will block ALL adverts on dodgy sites

Patrician

Re: Still worse than an ad blocker (by design)

I agree completely, I really wish websites would give me the choice of a micro-payment or accept ads. It would be a micro-payment every time and if I didn't think the site was worth that I wouldn't go there.

With the 6T, OnePlus hopes to shed 'cheeky upstart' tag and launch assault on flagships

Patrician

Re: No headphone jack

Not an issue for me, I very rarely listen to music on my phone and need to charge it at the same time; in fact I can't think when I have ever needed to do that in the 3.5 years I've had my current phone. If it was something I actually needed I'd by some Bluetooth ear buds.

I am in the market for a new phone to replace my Nexus 6P and I've narrowed it down to a Pixel 3XL or Oneplus 6T; I'm leaning towards the OnePlus as a £200 saving is quite a chunk of money, but I do worry that updates, or lack thereof, could be an issue.

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