* Posts by Darren Sandford

43 publicly visible posts • joined 18 Oct 2007

Sure, we've got a problem but we don't really want to spend any money on the tech guy you're sending to fix it

Darren Sandford

Re: Travelling to client sites

I swear by melatonin when travelling.

Terry Pratchett's unfinished works flattened by steamroller

Darren Sandford

Re: I'm touched by the weirdness of this request...

Thud! is amazing!

Where he shines in his later works is with a funny exterior masking a very dark sub-topic. Masterpieces.

While USA is distracted by its President's antics, China is busy breaking another fusion record

Darren Sandford

First plasma that your link references is not the same thing as a stable plasma for over 100 seconds described by this article.

Photobucket says photo-f**k-it, starts off-site image shakedown

Darren Sandford

Re: There's a difference between paying your fair share and extortion

I suspect there's an opportunity for someone to step into this space with reasonably priced hosting, and to allow linking to your photobucket account to enumerate your existing photos, then do all the internet searching for links for you, giving you a report on what you need to go and edit. It then moves them all the pictures over and you're done.

Not seamless, but probably as close as you're going to get.

Game authors demand missing ZX Spectrum reboot royalties

Darren Sandford

From the Facebook page...

"We are aware that a number of known associates of the former Managing Director Paul Andrews and his business partner Darren Melbourne have been in touch with another fake "news story". Yet again, The Register is simply being used by Mr Andrews and Mr Melbourne in another attempt to damage a great project. Former Managing Director Mr Andrews was responsible for contracting all of the rights owners in relation to the Vega on - page 53 of "Creating the Sinclair ZX Spectrum Vega" - Published by Andrews UK and Co-Authored by RCL's former MD, Paul Andrews states "I negotiated the necessary IP agreements with the various patent holders and licensors that would allow us to create and market the product" . The current management has spent a huge amount of time dealing with nearly 300 rights owners to establish legal ownership of a number of games and we have removed a number of games accordingly. These include the titles claimed by Mr Greengrass and Mr Cale, both known associates of the former MD Paul Andrews and his business partner Darren Melbourne.

Furthermore, Mr Andrews is providing ongoing support to Cornerstone Media International Limited (now in liquidation )and owner/sole director Nicholas Cooper who diverted and received funds belonging to Retro Computers Limited. This money was unlawfully diverted by Cooper outside of the scope of Cornerstone Media Internationals contract and in the process depriving Rights Owners and our chosen charity of income that would have been payable by RCL on receipt of those funds. Mr Andrews has tried to stop the current management from recovering this money from Mr Cooper. Due to ongoing legal action, we cannot comment further at this time. “

Dr David Levy 18.4.17

LikeShow More ReactionsComment

Android Wear: The bloatware that turned into gloatware

Darren Sandford

I do love my Garmin watch. Notifications from my phone, heart rate and running/fitness tracking with a huge battery life. The display is basic colour LCD, but backlit transflective so you can see it in daylight without the backlight.

Simple, only does what it needs. Being able to just wear it and charge it every couple of weeks is the thing that keeps me happy. Minimal maintenance. I can't imagine living with a watch I need to charge every day.

Good news: Teen hacker gets 1-million-air-miles bug bounty reward. Bad news: It's United Airlines

Darren Sandford

Better than they used to be.

The last time I flew United (transatlantic from the UK, earlier this year) it was comfy, the wifi was pretty reasonable, and the food was actually the best airline food I've ever eaten. Also, they no longer charge for booze.

They've come a long way from just a few years ago.

Reader needs Aircon help

Darren Sandford

A temporary improvement would be to rent portable air con units, stick the vent pipes out the door, and close the door as best as possible.

Idiot millennials are saving credit card PINs on their mobile phones

Darren Sandford

Re: And pre-Millienials were tech savants?

Keepass, synchronised through my own Owncloud server across all my devices, with a separate key file (not synchronised, I transfer that manually) and password combined.

Furious customers tear into 123-reg after firm's mass deletion woes

Darren Sandford

Re: "Hosting biz still working on fix for outrageous outage"

Hosting blitz?

You've seen things people wouldn't believe – so tell us your programming horrors

Darren Sandford

Macros without parentheses make me cry.

Learn you Func Prog on five minute quick!

Darren Sandford

Re: Miranda

Mine was something like naughts and crosses too. Durham, around 1993. The coincidence is too scary!

Darren Sandford

I remember a blisteringly incomprehensible module at University that involved functional programming in a language called Miranda. It was one of those things I wish I could forget.

Darren Sandford

Re: Rule 3: Functions should be curried.

And it's only now that I notice the icon next to your post. Hat's off to you, I was certainly got.

Caption this: WIN a 6TB Western Digital Black hard drive with El Reg

Darren Sandford

The early Hololens prototype wasn't quite as comfortable to wear as John would've liked.

Dark Fibre: Reg man plunges into London's sewers to see how pipe is laid

Darren Sandford

Re: Other pre-existing infrastructure that could be used ...

It's fine until you need to dredge the canal.

Now that's FIRE WIRE: HP recalls 6 MILLION burn-risk laptop cables

Darren Sandford

Saving on copper

I saw an EEVBlog where he tore down a dodgy mains cable. The printing on the flex said 1mm squared, but when cut open, there was only a few strands of copper. Instant fire risk.

USB charger is prime suspect in death of Australian woman

Darren Sandford

Fake apple charger tear-down

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wi-b9k-0KfE

This is why cheap fake chargers are bad. And because something looks the real deal, it might not be.

Apple sits on critical Mac bug for 7 months (and counting)

Darren Sandford
Thumb Up

@Poor Coco

If all Mac people (and Windows people, and Linux people) took your attitude, then this industry would be a nicer place. Also, the average IQ would jump by 30 points!

MySpace confession sinks car-death conviction appeal

Darren Sandford
Stop

Warning!

If you decide to check out that myspace link, remember the golden rule of myspace: your eyeballs WILL bleed if you visit.

Meet Phorm's PR genius

Darren Sandford
Flame

@HamsterWheel BBC comments...

... these comments, you mean?

"4. At 11:21am on 28 Apr 2009, LegendHamsterwheel wrote:

All these agitators complaining about a British company creating British jobs should be ashamed of their traitorous behaviour.

Time they found a real issue to waste their time on.

"

"9. At 11:47am on 28 Apr 2009, LegendHamsterwheel wrote:

I am not a Phorm employee. I have no connection with them other than as a shareholder and someone who thinks they have a great model for creating BRITISH jobs.

As usual, the tinfoilhat-wearing Luddites try to smear anyone who is remotely in favour of Phorm."

I noticed that the second comment was deleted by a moderator from tbe BBC website. I wonder why? Nothing nasty in there. Only thing I can think of is that our friend HamsterWheel asked for it to be deleted, to hide the fact that he/she is a shareholder in the company they are so avidly defending.

Seven Japanese poisoned by blowfish 'nads

Darren Sandford

Dangerous? Pah!

They should come and have a good old Death Wagon (tm) doner at 1:30AM. Now -that's- dangerous.

Lord Lamont joins Phorm board

Darren Sandford
Pirate

Sleaze!

Oh, wait...

Spacewalking astronaut drops toolbag

Darren Sandford
Happy

Putting things in to perspective

Losing a screw down in some inaccessible area of a computer case doesn't seem so bad now.

Chrysler grows iPod Peapod

Darren Sandford
Stop

Someone at Chrysler has been playing too much Spore...

Damn, that is one ugly car.

I bet it's not cheap either. Certainly not if it's restricted to people subscribed to the Church of Jobs.

I wonder if a non-believer is allowed to offer a prayer? Please, please don't let me get stuck behind these. Oh, please no.

Hacker unearths young Chinese gymnast scam

Darren Sandford
Paris Hilton

@Gordon

Not even the UK or US has managed to make a massacre of students by tanks in a main square in one of their capital cities vanish.

CERN: LHC to fire first proton-smash ray next month

Darren Sandford
Boffin

What's the worst that could happen?

They're waiting for you Gordon...

...in the test chamber...

US customs: Yes, we can seize your laptop, iPod

Darren Sandford

@Anon

"I love how the free world keeps setting such a wonderful example for everyone else.

And you people are all so busy bitching about the Chinese barring net access to some whining journos."

...or bring in tanks to kill their own students, right?

Wait...

Sensitive Wii maker snubs developers

Darren Sandford

@Frank

http://www.invensense.com/products/idg_600.html

That's the chip they use, complete with data sheets.

Jodrell Bank spared the chop

Darren Sandford
Paris Hilton

@Richard

Why not give Stonehenge a nice patch up and paint job at the same time? All those rough edges must really get on your nerves!

I bet St Pauls could do with a nice bit of wallpaper and some coving, maybe? How about a conservatory?

Jobs bars 3G Jesus Phone sales at Canuck Apple Stores

Darren Sandford
Paris Hilton

@Kam

No. Are all Americans fat and eat cheeseburgers all the time?

FCC tells Comcast to unblock P2P

Darren Sandford

@Phillip

The online game with the largest number of players in the world - World of Warcraft - uses P2P to distribute it's patches. This is a legitimate use.

Virgin Media in premium rate U-turn

Darren Sandford
Stop

Oh come on.

You're almost two weeks early with this one! Save it for April 1st.

Virgin media actually improving customer service? Come on, you won't catch many out with that.

CERN completes 'world’s largest jigsaw puzzle'

Darren Sandford
Boffin

@Ash

John doesn't need to hear this, he's a trained professional.

Vote now for your fave sci-fi movie quote

Darren Sandford

How about...

"Will someone get this walking carpet out of my way?"

PC World parent awaits FTSE 100 relegation

Darren Sandford
Flame

I blame...

...the truely bad TV ads that are running for PCWorld and Currys at the moment.

You can tell that the ads are made by the same people, because they are bad in exactly the same way.

El Reg fires up online standards converter

Darren Sandford
Thumb Up

@GrahamT

...I second Microfortnight for inclusion somewhere. This vital measurement of time -must- be preserved and promoted!

Raytheon to deliver 'paging system' for submarines

Darren Sandford
Pirate

How long until...

...we get confused whales washed up all over the place after being driven mad by constant submarine pages?

It's bad enough listening to irritating ringtones in a busy place - at least we have built up some resistance!

Apple's Leopard rejects latest version of Java

Darren Sandford
Flame

Didn't take long for the Apple faithful to leap to the defense of the poor, vulnerable Jobs!

See above.

Sheet music site forced offline

Darren Sandford
Thumb Down

Fills me with rage.

Soon you won't be able to hum a tune without an army of lawyers on your tail, telling you to shut up!

North American cities go green under LED street lights

Darren Sandford
Dead Vulture

Turn them on only where needed

Gah! Imagine trying to get to sleep when the streetlamps outside your window keep going on and off...