* Posts by Old one

55 publicly visible posts • joined 30 Sep 2016

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What makes a hard error hard? Microsoft vet tells all

Old one

The raaaape of PC

I "grew up" at least into the computing world of PC on DR DOS. Then forced by MegeShiz to use the MS OS because a change in the kernel blocked DRDOS from executing programs written only for MS DOS. MSDOS had dozens of revisions attempting to do what DRDOS did for PCs. IF memory serves me MS had 26 revision to DRDOS's 3 in just one year. I used DRDOS Gem Desktop at least a year before MS purchased the license to use it as the basis to WindNOs. Gem Desktop worked pretty much flawlessly compared to MS first 30 versions of WindNOs. MS corp culture was get it out the door and we will fix it later. Still seems the same when updates roll out and a week later there is a revision to the update. And heaven help you if you have an old machine that just keeps working until that drive failure and MS can't afford to keep the old OS & updates on their servers. I wonder how many are using an XP to run a 20+ year old flatbed scanner because it will still do books, magazines and other large sizes that are more than a standard sheet of paper?

I wonder how many here started with a TRS-80 Color Computer version #1? Hours of writing code to do simple things programs automatically do for you today. Having to go character by character to find an error that did not produce results that the piece of paper next to you showed so clearly what the computer should come up with. First with DOS then the beginning of HTML.. Whole websites built character by character. TG for the porn industry supplying the funds to make better programming programs and drive the need for video card upgrades. Finally small integrated storage devices vs the cassette tapes in an additional large cassette player. How many had to change the backup tape every morning in case there was a server failure that day? Ya I realize a 5 1/4 floppy wasn't small like today's 1+TB hard or USB drives but compared to a pile of cassette tapes holding your precious hours of work they were life savers. How about the 8.3 file naming restriction?

Shame about those wildfires. We'll just let the fossil fuel giants off the hook, then?

Old one

Re: I don't get why this is so hard

Its because you are too ignorant to research earth's history! And first off it is water vapor that creates a warming effect -- which is why they sell humidifiers for home heating systems.

IF you had any common sense you would look to earth's history to see what previously happened to the climate and its results to base and NEW concepts upon. But that take brains and EFFORT to look up the facts. GREATEST plant and animal growth on Earth was during the Mesozoic period where the temps AND CO2 were both much higher than the current climate. CO2 was 10x current levels. Greenhouses PUMP CO2 into them to get greater plant growth. You must have been out to lunch when you 4ed grade teacher taught how photosynthesis created plant growth. Water + soil nutrients are drawn up to plant leaves where the CO2 in the air reacts from the sunlight to produce carbon based cellular growth and releases oxygen as a waste byproduct.

If any of you climate hoaxers really cared for planet earth you would push warmer temps and increased CO2 to HEAL the planet. But you use false premises to destroy the basis of life on earth to gain monetary wealth & power over the populace.

Ignorance is bliss and it appears that you have a lot of happy campers in this crowd of idiots.

Old one

The wonder of Heat Pumps

It is getting funny that all the "brains" think that heat pumps are the solution. Seems that GB has found out that the noise level produced by heat pumps is far greater than that ALLOWED by current environmental laws. And the experience gained by using heat pumps in numerous homes & buildings across the land that were built prior to 50 years ago can NOT be adequately heated. That wind doesn't really blow in cold weather and effective solar power doesn't get through so many cloudy days. Effective "green energy" creates a whopping 4% of GB needed power as they continue to dismantle the reliable energy sources of the last 50 years.

Funny all the EV & heat pump "pushers" conveniently forget the RARE earth minerals needed that are raped from the earth by child labor working in horrendous conditions and often processed in extremally polluting facilities. The "pushers" conveniently forget to tell the world that China which has almost cornered the market on RARE earth minerals and processing them has 90+% of its fresh water that is NOT safely consumable. Solar panels and wind generators have destroyed China's fresh water with highly toxic pollutants that are draining into the Pacific Ocean with unknown long term effects on the waters circulating the globe.

And isn't it Stockholm Sweden that just learned that its NEW fleet of EV busses will NOT run in the cold and millions of people are now without daily transportation? Wonder how China will fare with its millions of EV during the current COLD wave that is effecting over 1/3 of the country including Beijing.

Old one

Info since ONLY 1961

IF you ignore millions of years of geological HISTORY for only 70 years of data then YOUR shortsightedness is doomed. And ya know what NATURE doesn't give a crap what you or millions like you think or do because as proven by millions of years of geology Nature will do what it wants. Multiple global extinctions have occurred and life as NATURE sees fit still rebounds and grows. As an old fart I'll take real history over your new fangled data - yes I remember Sputnik making "history".

Old one

WHY has the historical data been changed to lower temps?

It seems to an old fart like me that when you manipulate data as your ONLY way to prove your argument that like all liars you lost begore you started. The US has had the most intensive temperature monitoring stations around the world for well over a century. Many places today still do not have any monitoring and data is created because someone needs to fill in the blank. The current changes over the decades of monitor location surroundings -- an open field is now a paved parking lot - where "some people believe the readings of 100 years ago were incorrect" - and the earlier data is ADJUSTED/corrected to fit THEIR current outcome seems to be a bit of LYING. It is basic ignorance to deny the "Dust Bowl" days of the 1930s and "adjust' THE data because it destroys the current preferred outcome that supports the climate hoax lies. The fact that the current shown historical data STARTS in the 1950s when temps were cooler than the 1930-1940s is blatant lying. What happened to the "New Ice Age Coming" in 1972 that even Lenoard Nemoy - Mr Spock warned us about? WHAT happened the "ICE FREE" artic that has been pronounced to happen in just a few years for the last 40 years and has NEVER happened. Seems like proof that the "climate scientists" do NOT know climate science. It is very easy to promote a hoax to people who are too lazy to actually research the factual historical data and the published reports of what did happen a century ago. Ignoring history is shutting off the honesty of current information. Publishing only what you want people to believe is ignorance that can only lead to failure. To claim the the oceans are rising and ignoring shore line subsidence is lying. Coastal tide gauges around the world that have been used for centuries by sailors show almost NO changes and if someone would compare tectonic plate shifts there may be no changes. At most, where there has not been a noted tectonic plate shift, is a GOLBAL rise of water of less than 1 inch.

WHY don't all these climate change people celebrate the coming return to a Mesozoic era of Planet Earth were the plant & animal growth factor was 10x current levels for millions of years? Temps were higher and CO2 was 10x current levels. Greenhouse farms would not have to pump CO2 into them to get increased growth, Who doesn't remember their 3rd grade science about photosynthesis making plants grow - that water and soil nutrients drawn up to the green plant leaves and added to the CO2 in the air energized by sunlight to make the plant grow and expel oxygen into the air. Seems that people who do NOT want global warming just want to kill plant growth and end life on earth. Problem is that plants will continue even without people and animals. But who ever said climate hoaxers were actually smart at anything other than scamming people too lazy to research history of this planet. Its super easy to focus on the past 50 years than to look at the millions of years that Earth developed life here.

Old one

A tech writer who is too stupid to look at history

Funny how this writer CHOOSES to show his comparative data starting at one of the LOWEST points in the last 100+ years than when in fact the if he was an honest person he would have started in 1870-1930 when the data was 5X higher. More lying bullcrap based on data manipulation over honesty. The last 50 years of wildfires have averaged only 10% of the millions of acres recorded burned every year by the US Forest Service during the first half of the last century. AVERAGE forest fires annually burned an area larger than the state of New York. I dare anyone to read https://www.google.com/books/edition/Forest_Fires_and_how_You_Can_Prevent_The/sCbshzY_e5AC?hl=en&gbpv=0

1945 USDA Forest Fire Publication

Every year over 200,000 fires burn and sear the forests of the United States. Every year an average of 31,000,000 acres of forest land is burned over — an area larger than the State of New York.”

“Old trees still reveal scars of fires that occurred centuries ago. There are scar records of conflagrations in the big tree forests of California as far back as A.D. 245 and again in 1441, before any white man had set foot in the West. We know that extensive fires swept over the forested mountain slopes of Colorado in 1676, 1707 , and 1722, for venerable Englemann spruces still bear the scars. White spruce forests in Maine likewise tell of a fire that burned some 200 square miles in 1795 .”

“1825 … The Miramichi fire in Maine and New Brunswick … 3,000,000 acres burned … 160 persons killed.

1846 … The Yaquina fire in Oregon, covering 450,000 acres containing some of the finest stands of Douglas- fir, Sitka spruce, and western cedar that could be found on the Pacific coast .

1853 … The Nestucca fire on the Oregon coast … 320,000 acres burned.”

“The Pontiac fire in Quebec … 1,600,000 acres burned .

1865 … The Silverton fire in Oregon, said to have burned 1,000,000 acres.

1868 … The Coos fire on the Oregon coast, more than 300,000 acres burned from FIRES . September 15 to October 20.

1871 … The Peshtigo fire in Wisconsin -one of the most calamitous in American history . About 1,280,000 acres burned … homes, towns, settlements swept away . 1,500 lives lost.

1876 … The Bighorn fire in Wyoming … 500,000 acres burned.

1881 … A Michigan forest fire destroyed a million acres of timber … property loss, $ 2,000,000 … 138 people killed.

1894 … The Phillips fire in Wisconsin 100,000 acres burned … 300 persons killed. The Hinckley fire in Minnesota .. 160,000 forested acres burned … 12 towns wiped out … 418 lives lost .

1903 … The Adirondack fire in New York … 450,000 acres burned over.

“Every year America’s forests and woods and ranges suffer an average of 210,000 fires … 575 a day”

None of these fires come close to the fires of the 1920s & 1930s that burned 50 million acres per YEAR.

A HONEST writer would have compared 1871 to the 2000s to give an ACCURATE picture of the real difference in forest fires BEFORE big oil and now.

https://realclimatescience.com/2018/10/this-week-in-1871-worst-fires-in-us-history/#gsc.tab=0

Starlink speeds ahead in the satellite race but rivals aren't starstruck just yet

Old one

Why I stopped using Starlink

Came down to privacy... Starlink would NOT let me run a VPN to protect my financial data.... And I guess I was on a fringe of coverage so speeds would drop to zero (generally only realized it watching movies or videos) so it lacked reliability for being able to execute transactions at times. You are ready to hit send and Starlink times out for a minute but THAT minute is when your bank moves all transactions to the NEXT day... NOT NOW!!! I still have the dish and as more satellites are launched I'll probably try it again. I was really glad to have it when my Comcast went down for 4 days. My Comcast speeds are all over the place and often not enough bandwidth to simultaneously have a movie on TV and a laptop watching a video especially for a price that is about 4X the value. And it also will often drop the cable connection. I rely on internet WAY TOO MUCH by age and mobility challenges that limit my options. For perspective, I filled the gas tank in the car April 3rd and its gone 94 miles....

Voyager 1 data corrupted by onboard computer that 'stopped working years ago'

Old one

Didn't Rodenberry write this 40 years ago?

Seems to be Star Trek the Movie is coming true...

SpaceX staff condemn Musk's behavior in open letter

Old one

Who FORCED you to work for Elon?

Musk offered work - YOU CHOSE to take on the job...YOU SOLD your sorry asses for the paychecks WITHOUT any stipulation that you would ONLY work for someone who shared your explicit worldly parameters of right or wrong. So SUCK IT UP or go start your own space company MORONS... You took the paychecks for years while the company was struggling and it was Musk who kept it going, by name, by ingenuity, by hook or crook YOU still are getting a paycheck because MUSK has been the driving force.

There is nothing to stop you whiners from walking out the door and leaving your security passes as you walk out. Grow some gonads and back up YOUR sorry whining rant because YOU WILL NEVER be an Elon Musk no matter how much you whine and cry poor us that we will be tainted with Musk's actions... just walk away from the MUSK paychecks...

Everyone of these "signatories" should quit and go work for Ben & Faries where their feelings will run the company..........

Ukraine asks ICANN to delete all Russian domains

Old one

Stay the hell out of it...

ICANN should stay the hell out of it... I'd bet that there are a lot of Russian domain owners who do not support the Putin regime actions. IF you knock out one country in fairness you must knock out both.... IF honest polling could be done it would be interesting to see how much support for a war is in Siberia or the Baltic region?

And how long will it take for some enterprising bordering country to say register here and we will redirect traffic to your ru domains. One day or two... or maybe 10 minutes after an announcement... Its a lot harder to police 0&1 than hard physical borders.

John McAfee dead: Antivirus tycoon killed himself in prison after court OK'd extradition, says lawyer

Old one

Laws for thee - NOT me...

And there are still a number US DEMORAT Congressional people who have owed millions in back takes and other claims for decades that re NOT being prosecuted.. OMB showed Killary walked out of the Whitehouse with over $225,000 of US gov't owned items and only returned about $21,000 of them but never been prosecuted for the "mistake". The SWAMP is a massive tool of the mega rich puppet masters.

ASUS baffles customer by telling them thermal pad thickness is proprietary

Old one

Asus is crap

I bought a Asus Win 10 for doing a tax return as MS dropped security for Win 7. Cooked a hard drive on a Win 7 Pro HP machine a few months before the Asus machine and toyed with a few Linux OS. Settled on Zorin Lite which I think is working OK other than I can't get it to talk to my MS machines. So what the heck. I try the Zorin on the Asus. Reset the bios to read the USB I used on the HP machine. Asus boots and basically tells me there is an illegal USB then defers back to Win 10. Hmmm so I check the BIOS and its set for booting from USB so try again, again & again.... Hmmm so I try another USB with a different Zorin Ultimate OS only to get the same results. Try an Amazon USB stick with Ubuntu and the same....

I BOUGHT the machine-- IT IS MY machine not Asus. At this point I don't know if I can even wipe the drive - SSD - because IF the bios has this imprinted Win 10 only crap what can I do? BTW no CD drive... Write it off and put a hammer to it. And yes Asus support is NOT. If it works in Win 10 be happy and kiss our azz.

Zorin OS 16 beta claims largest built-in app library 'of any open source desktop ever'

Old one

Kinda trying to run Zorin

Old battleship Win 7 Pro drive died and unknown reasons the backup would not install on new drive so I decided its time to look at Linux. Installed 4-5 different versions before I landed on the Zorin (pro) Lite. I learned on DR-Dos if that means anything to most readers and 3 decades later I have other things to do with what time I have left than really learning a new OS. Biggest uses for that machine these last couple of years have been printing a doc 4-5 times a year and network backups of this Win 7 Home and unfortunately a new Win 10 shitbox that I need for tax filings. Tax filing is done so it will get the new Zorin shortly and I'll worry about the next filing if I am still here next year.

Had a real hard frustrating time getting the basic setup to work and if it wasn't for one really great person on the Zorin support forum giving me advice, links and instructions it would not be running now. It saw my printer & internet without issues but that's it. I have to email myself anything I want to print. I've spent a few hours attempting to get the networking to talk to my Win machines without even a real hint of success - shows a network but not the other machines that communicate each other pretty much without any issues. My only concern is if I will loose the scanner I use for my local monthly utility bill because I'll have to go back to an XP machine from 2004 (I think) for its flatbed scanner -- yes my car is 180,000 mile 2002 that I drove all of 458 miles last year. It still works which is all I need.

I eliminated the Mozilla and LibreOffice crap for Vivaldi and Apache as they are both superior products to Zorin's installed crap. Both Vivaldi and Open Office will do things that the others are not capable of. Hate to say but for ME, Zorin offers what seem to be a lot of crap programs so it will interesting to see what will be included with the upgrade. Maybe next winter or some 100*+ days I'll return to the networking but the sun is nice and apparently old people with a lot of Vit D don't seem to catch the China crap...

FCC mulls booting China Telecom from US networks over its ties with Beijing

Old one

Only until Feb 1, 2021

Then Biden will let China build another 5 server farms in the US so China can gather all the information Google FB & NSA have. Biden & CO have to earn the millions of $ that China already paid them. No one in US Govt saya thing that US companies can't have servers in China but its fine for China to have had them here for a decade. Just think China won't have to burn papers like the did at the Austin TX embassy when Biden gives them free reign on the US internet.

Pakistan calls on Facebook to extend holocaust denial ban into Islamophobia crackdown

Old one

It ain't a PHOBIA

It ain't a PHOBIA when you quote from the Korcan to behead people, that its OK to lie to further yoour goals, to rape & enslave people -- those are NOT phobias it is sharing the truth about a violent moon god cult.

Got an irritating itch you just can't scratch? That'll be Windows wanting an update

Old one

Re: Whataboutism of the Day™

Why - almost 1/4 of the Chinses population now speaks, reads & writes variations of English and it keeps growing. Simply Vicky made sure that most palces on this planet you will find English as the universal method of communication. Pleople may not like it but have accepted it based on its use. English is the one constant across the globe and merchants attempting to self their wares have adopted signs (not always correctly) to increase their revenues. Others learn just from exposure and the realization of usefulness. It may be nice to speak someone's native language but when a group of differing nationalities gather, it is invariably English as the common dominator.

It's been five years since Windows 10 hit: So... how's that working out for you all?

Old one

DR Dos ANYONE?????

Call me old school but I learned on DR Dos and GemDesktop predecessors to the figgin mess of sell it and we'll fix it later MicroMess crap. DR Dos had two revisons during the time MS Dos 1.0 went through 21 and still broke. GemDesktop worked years BEFORE MicroMess copied it. Don't even remember how many revisions those early Windows had. The old joke that if MS built cars that every time that the lines were painted on highways you would be forced to buy new car were so true. I have 15 yr old hardware that STILL works great so why should I BE FORCED to buy new? My 1969 Mustang that I bought in June 1969 still works pretty damn simply with real ease of any repairs or maintenance needed. Is it so wrong that i want that same reliability and usability in computers? Love the fact that SpaceX now has computers that can land boosters back at the launch site but I'm not doing space travel. Why do I HAVE to accept that MS knows what I want better than I do? Why should MS build an OS that forces MS to be the arbitrator of needed updates and "improvements"? Now I am being forced to buy a Win 10 machine to "comply" with various state regulations for "electronic only" tax filings. So wrong on so many levels but at this age do I comply or ????

Face masks hamper the spread of coronavirus. Know what else they hamper? Facial-recognition systems (except China's)

Old one

The denial of Re: American (and now English) "patriots"

Considering the amount of worldwide published data for years about the relative INEFFECTIVENESS of masks for VIRAL infections vs bacterial infections its amazing that anyone believes they work now. CDC & WHO have both published articles a few years ago demonstrating the various effectiveness of types of masks on various pathogens. Current data form dozens of US states ALL show dramatic increases in infection rates sine shortly after mandatory mask use was put in place. https://coronavirusbellcurve.com/#newmexico Maybe you should question following the actions that create MORE infections than those the people who want to avoid getting sick.

Skype for Windows 10 and Skype for Desktop duke it out: Only Electron left standing

Old one

Disaster in waiting

Wish I knew how long I've used Skype -- too long. Anyone remember Ring Central from the 90s? Last update wiped out my microphone software Win 7 Home 64 Toshiba Sat L775. Doesn't matter what input - mic, USB headset, or the mic audio inputs all do not record on MS Sound recorder or Skype test. No mic and Skype is useless - and Skype help ha ha another joke please.. Downloaded the last three versions & ran hours of tests looking for bad drivers etc. All waste of time. Older version still works on my 12 year old desktop for now but its hard drive has hit failure mode... afraid IF it goes down that it will never boot off the drive again - Win 7 Pro 64. Considering I talk about 20 minutes per month on the VOIP - don't own a cell phone - it shouldn't be a big deal. Just extremely annoying that a product that is working well gets broke by some meathead with better ideas than "IF it ain't broke, DON'T fix it". Thing is that since I became mobility challenged 5 years ago, having the Skype on my laptop was very convenient. Any calls to the desktop must leave messages because of the time it takes to physically get to that machine. Just venting........

For the past five years, every FBI secret spy court request to snoop on Americans has sucked, says watchdog

Old one

Fruit of the poisoned tree

IF the warrants were not valid then any evidence obtained is fruit of the poisoned tree. Any criminal charges that arose from a tainted FISA warrant must be overturned. Its the same as entrapment where evidence is obtained by fraudulent methods.

Shock! US border cops need 'reasonable suspicion' of a crime before searching your phone, laptop

Old one

A CITIZEN'S rights

The Fourth Amendment protects US Citizen's Rights. There is nothing in the Bill of Rights that extends those Rights to all people. NON citizens even with permission to reside in the US do not automatically qualify for those Rights. Giving those Rights to NON citizens only cheapens their value to those born with them or those who work to legally obtain them.

If you really can't let go of Windows 7, Microsoft will keep things secure for another three years

Old one

other options

I guess being lazy that I have not switched OS but if MS has no security for Win 7 then I have no need to keep their OS. Know I have at least one Linux system on a USB drive here - may be a couple years old so need to refresh. Need a kick in the butt - maybe for my 70th birthday in a couple of weeks. Of course its the worry that a couple legacy programs will not work on a new OS. Just don't need any issues right now.

Truckers, prepare to lose your jobs as UPS buys into self-driving tech

Old one

Just another player in a big field

Driverless interstate freight hauling will happen. Most likely drop off to drop off located just off the interstates. Current working hours restrictions are causing some issues when a driver gets hung up with either a delivery or pickup and then is stuck for a 10 hr Federal mandatory rest period. Someone picking up a trailer from a local yard and taking another back removes the need for them to push their limits and worry about stopping. Many locations have run out of parking for the number of trucks in a heavily traveled route for them to park while they take the mandatory rest period. Parking in many places is becoming additional expense out of the driver's pocket. Driver's don't control being stuck in traffic jambs or shippers not loading quickly & both are chargeable against their driving hours. Terrible fines can occur if an accident happens when a driver is just a 1/2 mile from his planned rest stop but the road is block by anything out of his control. Driverles is not a cure all but it can help relive the burden of an overloaded system.

Old one

Re: Testing only in Arizona?

The real problem has become the lack of people willing to commit to being lifetime "long haul" drivers. Most want to get a couple of years experience and then find local regional work that gets them home nights or at least weekends. The people willing to go out for three plus weeks running freight coast to coast is getting hard to find. Inter-modal moves nice boxed delivery anytime products but time critical, oddball and handling needed loads are becoming harder to broker hence more expensive. People might like to think that trucks can be reduced but in reality we depend more & more on the driver's versatility to get loads where they need to be. Interstate drop point to interstate drop point will give many drivers that local regional access and free long haul drivers to do what they like - travel.

Old one

Re: "...a human operator is still required to take over in emergency situations..."

During the testing phases just like the Freightliner/MB rigs and a number of others so far.

DEF CON plans to show US election hacking is so easy kids can do it

Old one

All bull until real voter ID

It doesn't matter what hacking is done until PHOTO voter ID is universal just like India and Mexico. Buss loads of voters can be moved from location to location and totally screw real honest voting results. Tuesday night results can be challenged with ease but actual votes at individual polling locations are much harder to dispute unless people are stupid enough to openly admit double voting.

If these kids can find the issues then have the Sec of State for each state put bounties out for rewards on each state's systems. Probably cost a lot less than the $250M.

Microsoft pulls the plug on Windows 7, 8.1 support forums

Old one

Oh where oh where

I really miss Gary Kildall....

Amazon scam trio primed for prison stretch after million-dollar fraud

Old one

Joke sentences

Crime does pay...

Blood spilled from another US high school shooting has yet to dry – and video games are already being blamed

Old one

Really powerfull

People & media love to blame the NRA not allowing stricter gun laws and even some confiscation of certain types of weapons but have you REALLY looked at the numbers?

NRA membership is about 5M out of 365M Americans. So 5M of 220M eligible voters is 2.27% of the population tells the Congress and all state legislators what laws to pass..... It ain't the 1% but not much more. Not there is speculation that there are more than 300M guns of all types in private ownership in the US -- some go back a couple hundred years when there were no questions about who could own one. pretty hard to believe that all 300M guns are in the hands of just NRA members as that would be 60 guns for each member. So most likely thee are a lot of non-NRA members as gun owners and also believe in their rights under the 2nd. Otherwise the 97% of the population would have radically changed the laws and called for a change to the 2nd.

Old one

Locking up guns not the solution

Just search "teen uses gun to stop burgler" to see exactly why "locking up" all guns from teens etc is not a good solution.

Being an old folk I remember gun racks and rifles in the back windows of trucks in the school parking lot. Going out shooting was a semi common place after school activity but no one even considered SHOOTING someone they had a problem with. Fist fights yes but guns never.

So what has changed? Violence in video format has become too glorified and in many case instilled at younger ages as kids compete to get better scores. The violence is also mitigated by a reset button that starts over with all the same players alive again. Be it movies or games or TV that the dead aren't really and come back next week to fight again seems to have removed the consequence of actual death even to those who have faced it in their neighborhood.

I wish I had a simple 20 word solution to the current problem. Florida was a kid bullied and TX was a kid rejected by a girl and then she apparently humiliated him in the class he killed her and 9 others. It seems that in most cases its a desperate revenge for how the shooter believes he has been treated like VA shooter of 32. maybe instead of soft comfort rooms these people need a "let the anger out room" where they punch the hell out of bags or some other let the pressure out relief.... I used to take a short piece of 2X4 and beat the he33 out of it with a hammer.... worked for me.

After repeated warnings Facebook bans Britain First for 'inciting hatred'

Old one

you support the rape of a 16 yr old

Your comment would appear to support the rape of a 16 yr old girl and even the rapes of thousands of others that have been finally exposed across GB with the disclosure of a number of grooming gangs. All Britain First members did was to call out the rapists to increase the awareness. Might be the last round of women coming forward would not have happened without the efforts of Britain First and Tommy Robinson's efforts to bring the issue into the public eye. But it is so much easier to ignore than to admit one group in society seems to want to live by different rules than what the rest their community has deemed acceptable. The last group exposed had been raping girls for well over 20 years with threats of murdering their entire families if they spoke up. Thank god that there are people like Britain First to speak up as it is very clear that the Home Office and the Constabulary prefer to protect the criminals.

To Puerto Ricans: A Register apology

Old one

Forgot to show up

The San Juan mayor just happened to forget to show up to ALL the FEMA meetings and then blamed anyone but her for her failures. Then she yells and commands news to blame the Trump administration vs taking responsibility. The Trump administration moved personnel and millions of disaster relief supplies in place before the hurricanes ever hit. The perverse inbred political corruption that is highlighted by the $113 MILLION in bonuses that gov't employees just received is endemic of the island's internal failure to deal with its own bad decisions that have been the hallmark of 50 years of Democrats in power.

Scotland, now is your time… to launch Brexit Britain into SPAAAACE!

Old one

Great

but I've got some ocean front property in New Mexico USA that would allow both Polar and Equatorial launches. Branson is investing here so maybe the British gov't should follow his lead and Amazon's Bezos is next door in Texas... Two pretty rich guys who are very successful. Bezos reusable launch booster has been very successful so ready technology and experience are close by... Some times its better to not start off re-inventing the wheel.

A certain millennial turned 30 recently: Welcome to middle age, Microsoft Excel v2

Old one

MS missed the mark again

Lucid 3D was far better program and advanced over MS Excell capabilities. BUT again MS marketing of an integrated program led to great sales and hence use. Just as DR Dos offered the Gem Desktop two years before Windows 1.0 and the 22 following revisions to overcome the blue screens of death that were fairly common in "those days".

There were lots of open competition from various companies that created numerous excellent programs but they would not run without a operating system. Making the operating system quirky so that outside MS supplied programs had operating issues seemed to be part of the MS marketing plan. MS Dos had so many revisions for the first decade+ that for those who were experienced in other operating systems got very annoyed with the exorbitant time required to keep upgrading MS Dos.

MS won by being the bull in a china shop -- making compatibility hard for any non MS programs. Still today when MS updates the OS how many experience issues with existing programs?

Longing for Gary Kidall....

Chinese whispers: China shows off magnetic propulsion engine for ultra-silent subs, ships

Old one

Re: Irelevantly

needed more white - not pink enough...

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

Old one

Re: A dangerous hands-off approach to hands-free driving

Couple of questions - where in that tiny land you call home is the speed limit 85 MPH for hundreds of miles? How many places can you go where the road is dead straight for 20+ miles? How many times is the "next town" over 50 miles away? Where can you drive below sea level and an hour later be over 10,000 feet? (Opps sorry you max at 4,400 feet) Gee guess I can't ask how many cities you have that are over a mile high. Guess that you don't have any mountain ranges that you can see and 2 hours later still have not reached yet. How many times do you drive in +46C temps or -45C?

How much freight does it take to feed, clothe, provide construction materials, provide all other goods to a population that is 6 times and spread over an area that is 45 times the size. Per capita ONLY works on similar capita data. You are attempting to compare a grape to a pineapple.

Finally have YOU ever driven 6,000+ miles in one week? I have.... Coast to coast and back.... You can basicly drive your entire country between breakfast & dinner .

Downloaded CCleaner lately? Oo, awks... it was stuffed with malware

Old one

Any invasion checking

So through all this article and comments I have not seen any mention of counter efforts that a user should do other then uninstall and download a new copy. Apparently its only 32 bit versions were affected but seeing they waited 6 days to announce being compromised could they also be holding back on it also have been 64 bit effected.

As it is Avast owned, I am surprised that they have not at least offered free scan for the malware that their product carried. Who better to know exactly what dirt needs to be cleaned up.

US government: We can jail you indefinitely for not decrypting your data

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Could have all been stopped

AT the very beginning IF he had stuck to the 5th and shut up there would be no issue. We can be our own worst enemy by trying to mitigate any situation. It is legal for cops to lie to you but not for you to lie to them. VERY first thing in any questioning is "I want to speak to a lawyer." Know when you MUST identify yourself and the extent of id needed. But other than that STFU & wait until a lawyer is present. If the lawyer tells you to respond to anything and it later backfires you can then claim you acted upon bad legal advice and are are not responsible.

Judge orders handover of Trump protest website records – DreamHost claims victory

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Only when convenient

IF IF IF IF the protesters did NOT ACTIVELY work to not only hide their identities but acted in concert to protect any & all individual law beakers I would agree that requesting all information would be an overreach. Is it not reasonable that if a society wants to exist under the Rule of Law that those who actively pursue violations of law be punished. It would take much more than knowing who MAY have attended to bring charges on any specific crimes. Fighting this subpoena further protects those who would violently pursue an illegal overthrow of the ELECTED government.

It appears by the reaction of most commentators that they back and support illegal activities as long as it doesn't hit their personal pocketbook not that apparently care what happens to the LAW. Apparent support for the illegal activities of a different agenda shows that they are no better than those who actually broke the law - cowards as they apparently hide behind the actions of others without the fortitude to use the Rule of Law to peacefully change what they disagree with. They advocate following the law only when convenient.

US spies hacked our phones over the air, claim pipeline protesters

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False protest

Funny that everyone seems to have missed one major point of this -- the LOCAL tribe did not want this protest and early on asked them to leave. This protest was totally organized from outside the local area. It was very well organized to distract from the real enviro-nazi agenda of crippling the US energy self sufficiency. These people behind this are the same enviro-terrorists that drive nails into large trees so loggers get injured.

This was also done on private property not public lands so they were trespassing. Surveillance of criminal activity by any means has been used for decades. Unfortunately some celebrities get sucked in by the "do-right left" and wrongfully enhanced the legitimacy of these illegal endeavors. Celebrity endorsement only serve to heighten the false narrative that the protest organizer want. Crying wolf is a common tactic for these groups.

NASA tells Curiosity: Quit showing off, no 'wheelies' please

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Re: Maybe we don't need too many humans in space yet...

Eric Olson - hell of a way to really make an old fart feel REALLY old. Reading you writing about "hearing about Mars missions while in school" just makes me wonder what it will be in the perspective of I remember when "sputnik" was a brand new never heard of name.

Possibly the only real regret of old age that is so lost on youth is what we will not get to see & experience in the coming decades. My grandfather lived from Wright Bros to "man on the moon" - time that included horror and devastation along with some really great leaps in data acquisition - I won't say knowledge because at this point I am not sure from all the mistaken conclusions of various "scientific experts" over the decades that anyone really has KNOWLEDGE.

It is great to see the seeds that we sowed so long ago still growing because the intellect that thought about what might be possible took the chance to build a better mousetrap.

You're all too skeptical of super-duper self-driving cars, apparently

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Re: Awesome?

As someone well past that 65 delineation, I love the concept and progress of autonomous vehicles. BUT I also have a number of peers who are distrusting detractors that fear that which they do not understand. I love the "driver-less" tractor trailers for product distribution between warehouses. Part of the issue will always be the "what if" scenarios that a semi rig can encounter where the designated travel plan is shot by unforeseen obstacles. Other side of the coin is the question of jobs. Should semi rigs require a "qualified driver" to be on-board IF the computer runs up against a non programmed scenario or an component failure.

I went from a bag phone (1990) to the various stages of smart phones that I could log into my work computer without being "in the office" or even in the country for work. Today the only cell I have is an old out of service one carried as I travel because it will still call 911. So from the new cutting edge to nothing over 25+ yrs.

I haven't seen where any autonomous vehicles have a relinquish mode to allow a "driver" to enjoy driving when they want to. My daily driver is a 76 Ford Bronco and in 97*F temp yesterday its lack of AC and shall I say other creature comforts make me wish for a long few minutes a new autonomous vehicles that I could have sat back for an hour and surfed the web. But just like my 69 CJ 4spd Stang I WANT to drive many times or I would not still own these vehicles. I bought the 69 Stang in June of 1969 and it was/is the raw definition of muscle car. Nearly 50 yrs later there are more comfortable, faster, reliable modern vehicles but none will ever have THAT raw driver edge that is now so computer controlled.

Change happens - technology almost always advances...

Microsoft raises pistol, pulls the trigger on Windows 7, 8 updates for new Intel, AMD chips

Old one

Just pushing people to move to Linux..

Trump lieutenants 'use private email' for govt work... but who'd make a big deal out of that?

Old one

She was NEVER cleared. She just was not prosecuted and could still be IF enough congressional reps wanted to hold her to the standard that US Military has been held to. If anything she had a higher role to be an example of exemplementry conduct and not lying before a Congressional Committee. She committed

the crimes and then perjured her testimony making it two different sets of crimes. Yet she walks free. Only FLOTUS to have been officially charged with perjury while POTUS was in office and she gets away with it again. Remember Travelgate that she ruined many lives with her lying allegations? ALL allegations were found to be false... She has never been charged with the theft of over $200K from the WH furnishings when they moved out nor the theft of $27k from the State Dept for furnishings that were moved to her private DC residence. She single highhandedly has lowered the overall standards of honesty in gov't official positions to lows only equaled by banana republics.

Old one

She apparently reset the bar - she ain't locked up so the rules and laws no longer apply to "high gov't officials".

Old one

That has to be the funniest comment I have read in a week. Staffers do party business everyday. Anything that promotes any one congressperson promotes that person's party -- see what this repub can do for you or see how this demorat helped you....

I can easily say that the rotten two state senators only follow the party line and refuse to vote for a bill that could help millions of citizens. They will follow the party line even when doing so is clearly detrimental to the state that they supposedly represent. That makes them party lackeys and their staff back up the party's "official line of bull". I have written to a senator on Homeland Security and get a response on global warming... do you think that makes me want to support anyone of that party?

Zuck off: Facebook's big kahuna sues Hawaiians to kick 'em off their land

Old one

Paid $30 million for a parcel and now only pays real estate taxes on an assessment of $18 million. Nice savings but just wondering who's pocket got lined in that deal? He gets to steal from the rest of the taxpayers who have to foot the bill he didn't pay.

Remember that amazing video of the whale leaping out the gym floor and splashing down? Yeah, it was BS

Old one

ignores reality

I get concerned when a "tech" writer appears to be far behind the times in a publication like The Register. " It's why we don't have flying cars. It's why autonomous vehicles are still a ways off. It's why the most advanced robots in the world still can't turn a door handle." It may be a small thing to many but autonomous vehicles in the US are progressing at a very fast rate. Three states have licensed vehicles of which one has cleared some for driver-less use. Two states have approved driver monitored driver-less tractor trailer use and are currently running those actual deliveries. These specific items may not be on this writer's radar but considering the world wide potential impact of both the AI & robotics combination, it is significant technology hence before denigrating it with outdated comments check the current status.

We also have 2 flying cars that are going through the onerous safety regulations qualifications to be publicly sold & used. Both flying and driving testing has shown to be not just viable but probably practical to some people. Unfortunately overlapping issues create heretofore never seriously anticipated stumbling blocks. Its the A can't be approved until B but B needs A set in stone approval before B can certified. Just think what Branson and Bezos are working towards passenger carrying licenses are granted in their new areas of proposed flight operations. Bezo's use of both AI & robotics is space age reality not just set it off and hope it works if it lands.

Buck Rodgers & Star Trek & Asimov were all dreams of what if... without dreams of what if where would we be? Investing -- well its not only tech that has scammers. Ever hear of Nigerian 411? Most of those are scams of the heart.

Germany warns Moscow will splash cash on pre-election propaganda and misinformation spree

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Bigger concern?

Isn't Germany's need for natural gas a more critical influence on elections? Posturing is one thing and people freezing or factories not being able to produce salable products is just as important.

Russian hackers got Trump elected? Yeah, let's take a close look at that, says Obama

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Re: As far I can understand

Electoral College is an equalizer. Prior to 1778 the Republics of Rode Island and Delaware knew that they could never equal the population of NY, Georgia or Pennsylvania. As an equalizer the upper law making house - Senate - has two members from each state originally chosen by the state legislators not the populace. A system to balance the presidential selection was needed to get all the independent Republics to sign the new Constitution of the UNITED STATES. Rhode Island had stopped the signing the prior year because of concerns over personal liberties and state's rights.

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