* Posts by a_yank_lurker

4139 publicly visible posts • joined 16 Nov 2013

Overdraft-fiddling hackers cost banks in Eastern Europe $100m

a_yank_lurker

@AndyS - It's a combination of multiple accounts, phishing, and multiple transactions per account. They are getting inside the decision loop of the bank by various tricks. Keep the amounts 'reasonable', the transactions following reasonable pattern, etc. it will take awhile before anyone will notice. Plus, if one uses the accounts sort of correctly, the bank may be slow to realize they are fake.

Visual Studio Team Services having some 'performance issues'

a_yank_lurker

New Feature

To the PHBs at Slurp:

There is this nifty new idea some are using. It is to test the code before release to find and kill the bugs. You might want to try it.

Signed

Your Users

</snark>

VPN logs helped unmask alleged 'net stalker, say feds

a_yank_lurker

Interesting, very interesting

So using a VPN does not prevent the few competent flatfeet from connecting the dots, only slows them down. It appears the real problem is if the ones movements and usage can be linked one stands a good chance of being toast. Also, since some stalkers have been murderers, it seems that a stalking campaign might get the flatfeet out of the doughnut shop.

Based on the sentence, it sounds like doofus will have a felony conviction to deal with for the rest of his life.

Microsoft silently fixes security holes in Windows 10 – dumps Win 7, 8 out in the cold

a_yank_lurker

Translation: please, please stop using Windows 7 and 8.

No problem here, Bloat is not used except for a couple of ancient locally installed programs that do not need to go online (XP could be used). Bloat is not allowed to connect to the Web ever. Also, it has been several weeks since Bloat has been used. Linux is installed on all computers with a couple not having any Bloat on them.

a_yank_lurker

@patrickstar - I get Linux kernel updates usually within hours of release for Arch. In fact if there is major security update announced and released within a couple of hours it will be in the repository ready for download and installation. The other distros I have used are similar in their efforts to get updates ready and available for users.

What shocked Verizon more: The Yahoo! mega-hack or that it runs AIM (for not much longer)?

a_yank_lurker

Re: we hear ICQ is still going strong – as is IRC, of course.

Partly true, but many in NA never used them. However sending a text message on a phone to another phone is pretty easy with the added benefit one can text to any cellphone. The other services are trying to be more of a social network that are enough different than Failbook to not be Failbook. These other services also are platform and ISP independent from the start. At one point I believe AIM was AWOL only, so not an AWOL user you are SOL.

AOL = 'America OffLine' or 'Almost OnLine'

Let's go live now to Magic Leap and... Ah, still making millions from made-up tech

a_yank_lurker

Re: The biggest Theranos Red Flag was it's Board

A bigger problem is Theranos never published, patented, or submitted a device for approval. Also, another alert is the vultures funding them were not those who specialize in biopharm startups. Having some knowledge of the biopharm industry, a competent vulture would be asking about their research and publications to review before committing money. It costs far amount of money to get a product approved anywhere in the world. But the funding vultures were IT specialists and did not know much about biopharm.

a_yank_lurker

Re: Procedure as normal

Given the scale of funding at this point, I suspect this is either a fraud or money laundering scheme. But unless someone complains, I doubt any of the flatfeet will even think of getting out of the doughnut shop over this.

As one commented, to write some code, if you some clue what your doing, might cost at most a few million to getting out. Back of the envelope calculation, 5 devs at 100K each/per year for a couple of years is 1 million plus another 500K for expenses, equipment, etc. The small number of developers is because after a certain point, adding more developers actually slows you down.

It's 4PM on Friday, almost time to log off and, oh look, Disqus says it's been hacked

a_yank_lurker

User but not really affected

I use Disqus but a hack is more an annoyance. My Disqus password is unique as are all my passwords. I use a password manager (locally installed) to generate and track all my passwords. Plus, my passwords are long random strings of gibberish that use the entire keyboard when allowed.

Open your doors to white hats before black hats blow them off, US deputy AG urges big biz

a_yank_lurker

Re: What a laugh

Or in the words of Bugs Bunny, 'What a maroon'. One of the major reasons most criminals get caught it their own blundering. Many crimes are unsolved because the criminals kept the blunders to a minimum. With DNA evidence many previous unsolved cases are actually being solved with convictions. With the typical electronic/internet trail determining someone's movements, habits, and interests is much easier than most people realize. This is without any backdoors or other illegal methods. Unfortunately though, even with these capabilities, it still requires the flatfeet to leaving the doughnut shop once in awhile and do actual work.

Australia approves national database of everyone's mugshots

a_yank_lurker

@Mark 85 - I have a hard time believing there is another group of politicos that make Congress Critters look about as intelligent collectively as a rock. But Aussies have done it.

US Senate stamps the gas pedal on law to flood America's streets with self-driving cars

a_yank_lurker

@Alister - Truly autonomous vehicles are probably further off than most think. There are a couple of very good reasons to push them. One is the reduction in accidents as most accidents are really due to some form of operator error/stupidity. The other is it will likely give more mobility to those who are medically disqualified from driving.

2019: The year that Microsoft quits Surface hardware

a_yank_lurker

Re: If it's good enough for Google and Apple

The problem with aping another company's business model when you are not a direct competitor is that you do not understand the pitfalls of the other model as well as you understand your own. 'Little details' that Apple, Dell, Google, etc have dealt with will often trip up Slurp as these 'little details' are important to the customers of the aforementioned companies.

For example, I would not expect Apple or Google to get into the manufacturing of self-driving cars. I would expect them to develop the software and license it the automakers as the automakers already have the expertise to build a car.

Legacy clearout? Not all at once, surely. Keeping tech up to snuff in an SMB

a_yank_lurker

Re: Consultant inception

The correct term is Insultant as all they are insults to the human race.

Microsoft shows off Windows 10 Second Li, er, Mixed Reality

a_yank_lurker

Re: This is great

For the next 'big thing' for most I suggest 3-D printing as more useful than VR. Before the down votes, I do not expect 3-D printing to be all that big outside of some engineering applications and small lot production. VR seems to have the same problem, it is useful in a few niches and basically pointless elsewhere. I could see a some justification in the future for more widespread adoption of 3-D printing but not necessarily mass adoption.

The problem with determining the next 'big thing' is finding a product that either is very useful on its own merits or has significant advantages over previous technology. Any example of the first is a microwave, it is a very useful cooking device that has numerous advantages over conventional cooking for most people. Thus, a device people will accept as very useful and even necessary. For the second, smartphones have supplanted the old wired phone as it is more convenient and useful than the wired phone could ever be. Thus, drop the wired phone service and get/keep the smartphone.

Nothing matters any more... Now hapless Equifax bags $7.5m IT contract with US taxmen

a_yank_lurker

Pot meet kettle

It's good to see two criminal organizations doing business with each other. Now if the rest of us could avoid having to deal with them.

Patch your WordPress plugins: Scum are right now hijacking blogs

a_yank_lurker

Oh Joy?

Is WordPress becoming the new Adobe Flash?

MH370 final report: Aussies still don’t know where it crashed or why

a_yank_lurker

Re: planet is surrounded by spy satellites

Since the crash almost certainly occurred in a remote part of the Indian Ocean which has almost nothing of military significance to monitor, it would dumb luck a spy satellite would be monitoring at the right time and place. If there was satellite that actually picked the plane up I would think it is more likely to be weather satellite. This assumes the resolution is fine enough to detect a plane and again the satellite would have to be in the right place at the right time.

Ignite: Microsoft drops veil on Honolulu, releases SQL Server on Linux into the wild

a_yank_lurker

Re: Lock-in

It can be done by features offered. However for most software, a unique feature is either to be DOA in the market or copied quickly by competitors. Any advantage will transitory at best.

Man with 74 convictions refused permission to fling sueball at Google

a_yank_lurker

Re: Responsibility for ones own actions

More to the point, with any good search engine this clown's criminal history will be uncovered. At least enough to warrant getting the public court records if he has applied at your company or trying to scam you. Vermin like him, prefer to be in the shadows and difficult to spot. Google makes it rather easy for anyone to find out about his criminal past.

SanDisk man tipped off his family to Fusion-io fusion, bagged $220k in share snatch – says SEC

a_yank_lurker

Re: desperation

Or flat stupid. Insider trading laws are on the books for these transactions. The problem some will face is they knew about the deal before it was announced. The question will really become who told whom what and when.

Java security plagued by crappy docs, complex APIs, bad advice

a_yank_lurker

Source?

One thing I have noticed about Java is its tendency to bloat by design with needlessly complicated code. Any Java library will suffer from this problem. The bloat makes the code more difficult to understand, maintain, and utilize.

Nadella says senior management pay now linked to improving gender diversity

a_yank_lurker

Dear Slurp Head PHB

I do not gave a damn about your diversity efforts when you produce crappy products such as Bloat 10. Start producing quality products that make sense in the marketplace then worry about diversity. Otherwise there be nothing to diversify.

Signed - a diversity token

Bless their hearts: Democrats want $40bn to spruce up America's bumpkin broadband

a_yank_lurker

Re: IT'S FRICKIN EASY

@AC - You need to look at a map. Many of these badly served areas are literally miles from a small city let alone a major metropolitan area. Radio and TV broadcast reception in some areas is problematic. Running the lines to these areas is very expensive; probably an order of magnitude more than what numerically challenged donkeys pull out of their ass.

To put some perspective, it takes about 8 hours or so to drive from Cornwall to northern Scotland in the UK, about 1 day to drive. To drive from northeastern Maine to San Diego is 48 hours or so according to Google Maps, about 5 to 6 days.

'Dear diversity hire...' Amazon's weapons-grade fail in recruitment email to woman techie

a_yank_lurker

Re: Betokened

Having been the token for an interview, I heartily despise being the token for any reason for any purpose. It is demeaning to the person because it shows a complete lack of respect for the person's talents and abilities. And that lack of respect comes through loud and clear to the token.

The problem many IT companies have is they have an absolutely disgraceful, miserable work-life balance. Many first class professionals realize there needs to be a fair balance and a recognition that family obligations are important. The worst seem to be companies founded by those in their 20's and became very successful quickly.

Alleged dark web drug baron cuffed – after he flew to US for World Beard Championships

a_yank_lurker

Re: It just goes to show...

Or have another for travelling

Equifax CEO falls on his sword weeks after credit biz admits mega-breach

a_yank_lurker

Local Story

According to WSBTV (local Atlanta media) he gave a talk at (th)UGA about cybersecurity in mid to late August, well after the incident. There was a Japanese custom of committing suicide if you dishonored yourself or others by your actions. If he had any honor he would learn how to do it correctly.

Limp Weiner to get 21 months in the hole

a_yank_lurker

Weiner's Weiner Problem

In US prisons there is a pecking order of the cons. Weiner is near the of the pecking and will likely need to isolated from other prisoners to avoid being Bubba's sex slave. Most cons despise those who sexually harass or worse children and a 15 year old is considered a child.

IT plonker stuffed 'destructive' logic bomb into US Army servers in contract revenge attack

a_yank_lurker

Re: Wow. Just wow. What a moron.

@AC - They are the ones who know how the military actually works and were in may 20 to 30 years.

a_yank_lurker

Re: How would you folk hide a logic bomb?

Also, make sure enough time has elapsed that once triggered you are not an obvious suspect.

Facebook U-turn: React, other libraries freed from unloved patent license

a_yank_lurker

Zuck the Moron

Unless Failbook decides to grant free use of their patents much like Red Hat is doing people will be wary of using their libraries. Failbook has not figured out if they are using patents offensively or defensively.

Super Cali goes ballistic, Gatorade app is bogus: Even the sound of it is something quite atrocious

a_yank_lurker

History

Gatorade was develop at the University of Florida Medical School by a research MD. The impetus was a comment by the UF football coach that his players were badly dehydrated at the end of a game. The MD decided to look into keeping the players hydrated during the game in Florida heat. He found that water was light on some stuff sweated out and dehydration was not only the loss of water but the loss of other stuff also. The result was Gatorade. When it was substituted for water the football team was much better hydrated late in the game and tended to dominate the latter part of the game, especially in Florida.

The nickname for UF is Gators hence Gatorade (aka reptile piss as that what the coach noted, his players were too dehydrated to piss).

Red Hat pledges patent protection for 99 per cent of FOSS-ware

a_yank_lurker

@AC - A very good reason to get a patent is to protect yourself. If you own the patent you can not be sued by a troll or you can make the troll's life miserable with prior art (your patent).

All Red Hat is saying is anyone can use their patents if they do certain things without having to get explicit permission from them. Just make sure you understand the requirements and that you can meet them and you will not be sued by them. As the patent holder, Red Hat can make whatever rules it wants for licensing the patent.

How Apple is taming the ad biz. Just don't expect Google or Zuck to follow

a_yank_lurker

Effects

This might cause a rethink of the mantra of 'targeted advertising'. Maybe the advertisers will realize 'targeted advertising' is chimera.

Microsoft reveals details of flagship London store within spitting distance from Apple's

a_yank_lurker

@katrinab - Arch et. al. sudo pacman -S ceiling (have to be root to install)

HPE sharpening the axe for 5,000 heads – report

a_yank_lurker

Suicide

This is a suicide by a thousand paper cuts. They will disappear as the carcass eventually gets picked over for a few meager scraps.

The award for worst ISP goes to... it starts with Talk and ends with Talk

a_yank_lurker

Worst in UK but not World

Over here we have Comcrap and a couple of other unworthies that could teach TalkTalk a thing or two about being hideous.

Blame Canada? $5.7m IBM IT deal balloons to $185m thanks to 'an open bag of money'

a_yank_lurker

Re: Idiots Building Machines

you are too kind.

Slain: Unions' US OPM mega-hack lawsuit against Uncle Sam

a_yank_lurker

Re: Hey OPM!

Equinefax probably hires the OPM rejects.

Ah, good ol' Windows update cycles... Wait, before anything else, check your hardware

a_yank_lurker

Hardware Refresh

It sounds like no one will have any idea when a new release of Bloat 10 will make some or all your hardware obsolete. That is not going to go over well when there is a significant hardware investment to be unexpectedly trashed because Slurp and Chipzilla are run by slimes who make a Mafioso look like a saint.

Researchers claim ISPs are 'complicit' in latest FinSpy snooping rounds

a_yank_lurker

Re: VLC + WinRar

AC - This makes it more difficult to trust download sources for any OS but especially for Bloat. One question I have is how easy the modified code to sneak into a repository/app store?

FedEx: TNT NotPetya infection blew a $300m hole in our numbers

a_yank_lurker

Re: 300m? .. How may 'IT Pros' would that pay for?

AC - Security as well as other areas of IT demand competence and competence does not come cheap. Dumbsourcing IT is a guarantee of a disaster waiting to happen. What dumbsourcers forget is an employee's first loyalty is the company issuing the paycheck not to the ultimate client. So if you want first loyalty the staff needs to be internal not external.

UK Prime Minister calls on internet big beasts to 'auto-takedown' terror pages within 2 HOURS

a_yank_lurker

May and a Flea

It is obvious that a flea is orders of magnitude smarter than May. If she took an IQ test are negative results allowed? </snark>

Uber Cali goes ballistic, calls online ads bogus: These million-dollar banners are something quite atrocious

a_yank_lurker

Re: Wannamker's Dictum

John Wannamaker was commenting on the fact all advertising wastes money no matter what you try to do. I think he would think targeting advertising was a folly. He was basically say at best advertising will inform some about your products and services and many of those will not be interested at that moment. At a given moment only a fraction of the people are actively planning to buy X from A in a given time frame. These are the people who are likely to pay attention to ad about X or A.

Using search results for targeting ads is not very effective as the context of the search is not considered and what is the planned time frame to purchase.

a_yank_lurker

Wannamker's Dictum

Someone should remind Uber of Wannamaker's Dictum: Half the money spent on advertising is wasted, you do not which half is waste.

Inept bloke who tried to sell military sat secrets to Russia gets 5 years

a_yank_lurker

Re: Trial balloon (lead)

The wording is poor but the Judge is telling the government shysters their case on this point is at best weak if not leaking so bad it makes the Titanic a better bet to got to port. Feral shysters love to add tangential charges to the main charge in the hopes that something sticks if the main charge collapses (as it often does). This is instead of making sure they actually have a case on the main charge. This seems like the judge is telling the shysters to do their jobs correctly and stop adding bullshit charges.

Congress battles Silicon Valley over upcoming US sex trafficking law

a_yank_lurker

Congress Critters

The bill is almost certainly an overreaction by Congress Critters. I wonder if there isn't some laws or case law regarding the responsibility of print media in regards to accepting and policing classified ads. This would seem to be the most directly applicable area. If the Congress Critters would on focus on the problematic area, which appears to the online classified ads, they might accidentally find an appropriate solution.

Also, could some of these sites be sued as accessories to a felony in civil court (some states allow these types of suits). My impression is Backpage is the Gawker of the internet classifieds and that could leave them open to this type of suit. I think many were surprised when Hulk Hogan (with help) took down Gawker.

Google, Bing, Yahoo! data hoarding is like homeopathy. It doesn't work – new study claims

a_yank_lurker

Re: re: Targeted advertising is pretty useless

Using search results for targeted ads makes one fundamental mistake. The context of the search is missing. Was the search out of curiosity, a need, etc. With each underlying mode how the searcher uses the information is different.

What's that, Equifax? Most people expect to be notified of a breach within hours?

a_yank_lurker

Re: Not Qualified

In the of (th)UGA back in the day it was a 'university' were going to class was to sober up between binges and parties. If she was like most, her time in Athens was alcohol/drug induced haze. (The thuga bit is because the football team traditionally has a rap sheet that would make a mobster proud).

Equifax's IT leaders 'retire' as company says it knew about the bug that brought it down

a_yank_lurker

Re: admin/admin

First disqualification (th)Uga grad which is the byword for stupidity in the Southeast. Second where they retirements or 'retire or be fired'.