* Posts by VampyreWolf

29 publicly visible posts • joined 13 Feb 2008

World's Raspberry Pi supply jammed in factory blunder

VampyreWolf

Re: It's not like mass producing electronics is incredibly difficult

My last job was for a Canadian telecom OEM. We recieved the PCB and stuffed it on 1 of 3 SMT machines in-house. Once the Gerber file is in the system, it's not hard to set it up for a run of 10 or 10000 as long as you have the parts available.

IIRC there would be a stuffing error ~0.1% of the time, which usually meant 4-5 boards on an average run would have to be reworked on the line.

For a part like we're talking about, the rework time for each board would be 5min on a properly set up station or 10min on a regular station. So unless you have a large crew doing the work, we're talking 830 man-hours of work to redo 10k boards.

Mobile phones for minimalists

VampyreWolf
Thumb Up

Gota love the F3

Despite Motorola not selling it here, I still managed to get my hands on 3 of em. It's a phone designed as a phone (and not designed to be another computer).

Though 3 weeks of standby makes this one sound tempting...

Royal Society opens inquiry into why kids hate tech

VampyreWolf
Flame

The biggest issue is experience and comprehension

On one side, you have a generation going through the system, which has the world at it's fingertips in an instant. Where Google, Twitter, and Facebook are household terms, seeing more usage then oven, stove, or grill (also the fast food generation). Math is no longer done mentally or even long form on paper, but done via a calculator. Reports and essays now allow txtspk in them (and yet they can't read L337).

And on the other side you have this recent trend towards "no child left behind", which is going to result in little more than McD's getting more employees who have no glimmer of hope of getting any further than refilling the fry machine. The bell curve has shifted horribly towards the lower grades, further adding to the chasm between the top students and the majority. Though this opens up spots in higher education, we then see reports of schools and dropping enrollment stats as the majority now has no hope of even filling out the enrollment paperwork correctly, never mind passing the first term.

So we have a generation who is connected to the world constantly that either has no comprehension of how to use the information to the utmost, or they have long since surpassed those teaching them how to use it. Both groups would show a lack of interest in any classroom, though the current system caters to the former rather than strive to enrich the educations of the latter.

'Being fat is no worse for you than being a woman'

VampyreWolf
Pint

Pill or Pilsner...

The reason men aren't on medication to the extent women are, is that we hit the bar. Nothing like a few beer to just not care for a while.

Millions of mobiles blocked by Indian authorities

VampyreWolf
Grenade

It's still easy to bypass

When I took my latest cell in for a SIM, my IMEI came up as invalid. The guy tried a 2nd time, then just entered in all 0's ending in a 1. And I know the SIM works in my other cell without a problem (exact same model).

So not only does using cash for pay as you go mess with the system, you don't even have to enter the IMEI for the phone (just can't leave it blank or null).

Apple patents all-seeing display

VampyreWolf
Pirate

orwell

1984 was written as a warning, not a guide. This is just one step closer to big brother.

Seagate intros Replica slimline backup box

VampyreWolf

500gb multi-unit backup?

So what happens when your file server has 2TB of space? I'm guessing the 250GB single unit backup is for office computers.

US cops called to McDonalds menu cock-up

VampyreWolf

refund

But did she ever get her money back? She obviously never got her "food".

US teen cuffed for disorderly classroom texting

VampyreWolf

no phones in the classroom

My teachers did it the easy way. If the phone rang in class and didn't get shut off, you got booted out of the class. If you answered your phone in class or sat there texting, you were gone for a week... during which there would be a couple easy 10% exams. And missing more than 10% of the class for anything other than medical meant you failed.

I know a few people both in highschool and later in college that had to repeat courses because of thier cell phones. There was a reason we had 10min between classes.

UK 'bad' pics ban to stretch?

VampyreWolf
Pirate

Who's with me?

Now, if simply looking at an image on paper is a crime... who's with me on the quest to send an image to every single member of UK gov't and every UK judge? Just cost you each a stamp.

Then at least we'll all know the place is being run by a bunch of criminals in robes. Can they arrest and detain each other then? WILL they arrest and detain each other?

Whose notebook is it anyway?

VampyreWolf

Images are the easy way

I've got the only admin account on the systems, so the users need me to install anything they need. Beyond that I let them go free downloading what they want but if they kill it it goes back to an image from up to a month ago. They get thier own computer but they lose thier personal files on it when it goes down. USB is disabled and there are no optical drives. Doesn't mean they can't email thier files to themselves but they can't just dump the drive and take it out the door.

US teen clocks up 14,528 text messages

VampyreWolf

little excessive?

Has the world gone mad? Stop it here and let me off.

I think I've sent 4-5 text messages in the 8 years I've had a cell, and they've all been through the online page my provider has. But then again I haven't gone over 30min of talk time in a month on any of my contracts so I'm a big exception. I use a laptop and free wifi to use email, why pay for it on my cell?

Online storage start-up pitches 'USB stick on the internet'

VampyreWolf

old bag of tricks

X drive got me through high school computer science.

Microsoft slings Windows Home Server in OEM bargain bin

VampyreWolf
Linux

why pay for anything?

I've got 2 old XP machines (1ghz and 1.3ghz) running network shared files for backups, a file server running XP for my file swapping, and my main access machine running XP & TightVNC. 3 NAS boxes on my system, with a NSLU2 providing my FTP.

Why pay for a server O/S when xp is cheap and plentiful (and more or less secure with a good hardware AND software firewall).

Microsoft sued in China for black screen of death

VampyreWolf

And this is a problem why?

How is this an issue for those of us running a black desktop to begin with? Black on the main install, blue on the virtual machine (if it's not just a toolbar like my file server).

I'm running legal copies on all my machines, but wouldn't even notice the change anyways.

Official: Eee PC range to expand

VampyreWolf

$900 for a 10" screen and 32GB?!?

I paid that for my ER710... athlon64 x2 1.7ghz, 17" glossy screen, 160gb HD, 256mb vid, dvi/hdmi out. Sure, it's not as portable as my 4G, but they're going away from the fact that folks bought the eee for it's size AND price.

the only way I'm spending that kind of coin on a small laptop is if I'm getting a tablet.

Court defends America's right to online smut

VampyreWolf
Flame

uh, and the parents job is?

Wouldn't it be a LOT easier to just make parents responsible for knowing what thier children are doing online, and put up appropriate means of blocking offensive sites?

Granted, a lot of people lack the skills to set up a firewall, never mind content filtering, and even that won't stop someone who wants to get past it... but if little johnny bypasses your filtering, you cut them off.

Or has the job of talking care of our children been passed on to the gov't now?

Apple store detains teens for installing iPhone game

VampyreWolf
Dead Vulture

I can't believe this BS about install time

Most IT depts have disc images for recovery... takes a few minutes of work to pop the disc in and then to make sure it works after.

Fresh install using nlite and slipstreamed with hotfixes, service packs and drivers on a windows machine again takes a minute to set up and then later to confirm the install... maybe another 15-20 later off of an install dvd with your normal programs on it.

Recovery install from a previous date, or a repair install take even LESS time. So saying they're out hours of work is a load of BS. Here's your shovel.

The last time I picked up a premade computer, I took knoppix and ubuntu cd's with me to check if it'd load. The staff complained and denied themselves the commission on a cash sale. Fvck em.

Japanese customs dish out free dope

VampyreWolf
Boffin

New phrase to learn

how do you say "use my bag for a drug test" in different languages? I feel a world tour coming on... first stop, japan.

Acer Predator packs powerful specs, lacks skull cleaning capability

VampyreWolf
Flame

but the case....

the real question is how long till you can buy just the case?

Windows XP SP3 blame game begins

VampyreWolf
Linux

works fine here

Updated 4 computers with it. the P4 at work was done last week when I it came out. Still running fine. 3 of my 4 at home are AMDs (2 are dual core), and worked without a hitch. Thinking about switching my EEEPC over to windows to see how it looks, and it might get SP3 too.

Think the main issue is folks with bad installs to begin with. I've built 3/4 of the systems I work on, and the others were fresh installs *not* using OEM discs.

Your personal data just got permanently cached at the US border

VampyreWolf
Flame

baaaaaaaaaaaaah

there is an easy way to do this. spend a couple hundred bucks and build and ftp box. The question is how much you want to piss em off.

1. create a folder, within a zip, within a folder, within a zip, within a.... you get the picture... label them all as KP, then toss in the goatse pic as the only file at the end of it.

or

2. make a file called "illegal stuff' filled with every auto-exe'ing virus you can dig up, zip it as auto-exec, and step back, knowing that you likely fvcked em for a little bit.

Toss either one on a flash drive that you're willing to abandon, and go through with a fresh install on your laptop. Just pull your files from the ftp when you get to your spot.

Penguin goes electronic

VampyreWolf

project gutenberg

http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page

thousands of books, all free... just download the dvd collections, burn to a disk and grab the few you want to read.

I've got a few thousand bucks in my personal library and continue to add to it. I'll have 2-3 books in my bag at any given time, as well as digital copies of a couple dozen on an sdhc card. Given the choice on a book I'll take the physical copy where I can toss a handful of bookmarks in, or even *gasp* highlight a section.

what needs to be done is what Sam's does for the reference books. They toss em online and include the link and code for that book inside, So not only do you have your physical copy, but you can save a digital one as well.

US teen cuffed for disposable camera 'Taser'

VampyreWolf
Dead Vulture

Electronics Fun

Hell, 1/2 the stuff we did in my electronics technician course would get you sued in the lawyer state known as america.

10mA 20kVDC shocks (and thats 10mA on the average skin resistance) were entertaining. Considering that a static shock is 20kVDC, you can do the same thing with a good carpet any day. A number of folks in my class installed the caps on their power supplies wrong, resulting in a dozen good BANGs over a couple days.

I've got the guts for 3-4 disposable cameras, and a bug zapper here that leaves beautiful welts off 2xAA.

Why do I get the feeling that the ppl making a fuss about this case have never been shocked with 110VAC, never mind a 240VDC charger? You play with this stuff long enough and you get shocked repeatedly. Camera flashes are a mild entertainment, just walk up and zap someone on the elbow for a good laugh.

eBay pulls Vista laptop pwned in hacking contest

VampyreWolf

Harmful items?

Better pull all the pens, pens, paper products (papercut... 20lbs book across the side of the head... ), rulers... hell, pull all footwear because someone might get kicked. Better make it everything, I might choke on my clothing.

Ohio man cuffed for shagging picnic table

VampyreWolf

Hole size?

Uh... how big was the hole? I don't know about you guys but the hole in my table is only 1.5" across...

Of laptops and US border searches

VampyreWolf
Linux

Simple...

Just set xorg.conf to init 3, give em a CLI with an unused user account and hand it over off a fresh boot.

"no sir, I have not encrypted anything on here, have a look"

Armed police swoop on MP3-packing mechanic

VampyreWolf
Thumb Down

Seems oddly familiar

Seem to recall another well known case over there, July 2005, where the "suspect" was released with 'no futher action'...might help if the law enforcement wasn't trigger happy.

http://gizmonaut.net/bits/suspect.html