* Posts by Nux Vomica

33 publicly visible posts • joined 4 Mar 2008

Iran spy drone GPS hijack boasts: Rubbish, say experts

Nux Vomica

Flat spin = unscathed? (even relatively!)

Hmm not sure about a flat spin leaving you unscathed once you hit. Your rate of descent in a spin is still far in excess of anything you would ever want to approach a solid object at. Have done one of these in a Chippy and the VSI was down against the stops (300 fpm), even though it didn't feel like it.

Any real pilots care to comment?

Martha Lane Fox to clone 10m copies of self

Nux Vomica

Nice to see we've still got some spending cuts left to make.

Anyone got the link to the Facebook page for government spending cuts suggestions?

Microsoft's KIN goes to hell: Site offers comfort

Nux Vomica

Who the 'kin hell thought up that name?

Never heard of this in the first place, but have they no speakers of colloquial English in their marketing department?

Garage card scammer jailed

Nux Vomica

Theogenes De Montford......

Surely that a was a villain from a Sherlock Holmes story........

Toshiba intros dual-screen, keyboard-less netbook

Nux Vomica

Price will kill it

Apparently closer to £900. I'd love a dual screen ebook reader, as it would truly mimic the convenince of the real thing, but I haven't come across a reader of any desciprtion yet that can do the job at any price, far less one that will justify it's price in terms of convenience.

Too busy trying to sell the bloody things on wow factor. Sadly the idiots who are interested in style rather then function don't have much use for reading of any description.

And another thing, what happened to illuminated manuscripts.......

Cisco bugs surrender control of building's critical systems

Nux Vomica

Computer controlled building as a plot device....

Done ages ago as an episode in Series 2 of the "New Avengers", entitled "Complex".

God I love '60's & 70's Brit TV. Anyone remember "Department S"?

Best Buy tech finds 'child abuse' wallpaper on broken PC

Nux Vomica

@AC regarding Agree-ish

I understand your point, and suspect I didn't explain my own clearly enough. I wouldn't recommend early intervention comprising of punishment for crimes other than those that sex offenders are convicted of.

I would like to see low level sexual offences treated as indicators of a predilection and result in treatment and close monitoring of offenders for a substantial period after (sex offenders register doesn't mean jack). Yes it does have civil liberties implications, but then so does virtually every form of punishment. In cases where the crime is an good indicator of future behaviour of sufficient gravity, I think this needs to be discussed.

Definite proof no, but then virtually all legal decisions are taken on a less than 100% proof basis. No I don't think this should be a legal basis for all crimes, but sex crimes in general and paedophilia specifically are very much more predictable (in terms of the offender profile) and very much more serious in their impact than property or even violent crimes in general.

With 95% of reported adult rapes failing to get a conviction who knows how many child rapes go unreported. I think a measure of this nature would have the potential to prevent a lot of harm, and adversely impact only those who have commited a crime already.

One caveat, keep anyone one with a financial interest out of this. The moment that the News of the World start a "Hang a Paedo" campaign or rogue psychologists start uncovering forgotten "memories", it's finished. Those bastards are just as bad as the offenders because they reduce credibility and facilitate the crimes they profess to abhor.

Nux Vomica

Can't believe they published his address....

Hope to Hell he is guilty because his life is now as FUBAR as his face is in that picture.

Also, further to Sub's point about the idiocy, the fact is that you will only hear about the idiots who are dumb enough to get snagged. How the hell are you going to hear about the smart ones who don't get caught? Victims don't have a voice due to the circumstances and the offenders rarely advertise. The only methods for active detection are profiling or entrapment. While no legal expert, I'm pretty damn sure they're both illegal. Unfortunately.

Child abuse is something we live with because there isn't enough money in preventing it to get the measures enacted to stop it. And by stopping, I don't mean post facto, I mean identifying and treating the offenders before they commit serious offences, rather than treating their early low level sexual offences as minor errors of judgement , rather than early indicators of serious underlying mental health issues that will lead to some poor kid getting raped in the future.

Bear in mind we only see a minority of the actual offences reported in the media. The vast majority go undetected, unreported or unpunished, even when the offenders don't have the Catholic Church to shield them.

Outsourcing goes inside

Nux Vomica

indian convicts running the back office for banks......

Can't see any possible security issues there can you?

I'll be checking where my bank offshores to as soon as I've finished this post. I'd suggest you all do the same.

Swiss watch auctioned for £3.76m

Nux Vomica

I'm with Dances...

It's an instrument FFS, if you need to influence other peoples judgement with such a bauble, then you both need to grow thumbs.

Never seen so much cock waving go on in a Reg column.............

Jesus descends to Google Earth

Nux Vomica

Bloody sacrilege!

It's clearly Phil Lynott

Whaddyamean "Who's Phil Lynott"?

Ubuntu's Lucid Lynx stalks PC and Mac converts

Nux Vomica
Thumb Up

Works for me...

Been running 9.04 on an Aspire One, having tried, Win7 Mini, OSX as well as the nasty Linuix build it ships with, and it beats the pants off of all of them.

Easiest install of all, ALL drivers included and devices detected on both the Acer and a Dell mini.

Mainstream OS? Well no, but it's not aimed at Reg readers who probably are IT professionals or enthusiastic amateurs. It's aimed at folks who just want to do the online basics, and it does that very very well and the difference is amplified when running on a low power platform like a netbook. It can do more, and yes the "more" is still easier on Windows than on Linux, so Windows isn't going away for those who need more. But most people don't, so I think Ubuntu has a good chance of making inroads into the home user and netbook market.

Oh and too brown? Either the irony is too subtle for me or you need a little assistance with the basics there chief.

Wikileaks video shows US gunfire on Reuters staff

Nux Vomica

@william henderson 1

Policy isn't the issue here, individual conduct is. The fact that the crew were clearly under no threat, and were literally begging for an excuse to fire is the issue. I do not contend that policy is at fault, the individuals who conducted and subsequently covered up this action are.

Yes the insurgents are largely indiscriminate murderers (including those who will now be motivated by this act), but I still prefer to believe we are different because we do not intentionally kill civilians either as policy or a deliberate act of the individual. If you think we're not, then of course none of these arguments is going to cut much ice with you as they are irrelevant. Accidental killing of civilians in prolonged counter insurgency operations is almost inevitable, intentional killing of them is not and should not be tolerated. If you think that simple murder is fine, then theres no issue for you here, and a good career awaits you at Blackwater.

Yes I do think that if the laws used to prosecute the Nazi's at Nuremberg were fairly applied, then "Bomber" Harris and others would have been in the dock for the mass murder they commited (in this case as policy) though not the individual aircrews (as they had proven foreknowledge that they were bombing just defenceless civilians as a primary target not as collateral of industrial and infrastructure targets) , as Harris undoubedly did.

Further still, so should Blair et. al. for that matter. The crimes for which many were prosecuted at Nuremberg included “Crimes against peace” specifically, "the planning and pre-party of aggressive war. This also included any financial, physical, or ideological attempt to wage war".

Nux Vomica

@cirby

"Don't send our personnel out with armed insurgents, and if you see one of them carrying an RPG while a US helicopter is in the area"

No one was carrying an RPG as was clearly visible on the video. At no point is a weapon of any description visible or does anyone take any action which could be interpreted as offensive. Hiding from heavily armed aircraft crewed by an invading army with a decades long reputation for indiscriminate and excessive use of firepower against civlians would seem to be far from foolish.

The aircrew will be congratulated and promoted, more civilians will die and more insurgents will be recruited to kill more troops. Unrestrained violence begets unrestrained violence, and if you doubt we would do the same in this country, try doing a little reading on the Northern Ireland troubles. I'd recommend Killing Rage by Eamonn Collins.

Interesting to note the difference in demeanour between the troops on the ground who can see directly what the results of their actions are and are potentially in real danger in this kind of situation and the jocks in the air who were not remotely under threat (listen to their tone of voice) and consider it all just a game (I don't say that lightly, again listen to their language and tone, soldiers under imminent threat don't laugh about it, they don't have time).

This is as much a case of indiscriminate slaughter as the terrorist bombings and will result in the same prolonging of the cycle of violence.

Programmer gets 4 years in TJX hack case

Nux Vomica

Too little time?

You've obviously never heard of Roger Levitt. $30 million and not a day in jail.

http://www.nytimes.com/1993/11/27/business/briton-avoids-jail-in-fraud.html?pagewanted=1

US 'Anubis' stealth assassin robo-missile nearly ready

Nux Vomica

This project is already delivering precisely what the originators intended.

Which is beaucoup bucks for the defence contractors involved, job done!

SeaWorld killer killer whale must die, Bible insists

Nux Vomica

Surprised because a killer whale...

er... kills?

You keep an 11,000 lb predator in close confinement and train it do do tricks and feel aggrieved when it occasionally gets pissed off and reverts to type? That's the surprise for me.

It's not a source of innocent fun and education, its cruel exploitation of a dangerous animal for amusement. Until these dimwits figure that out, animals will suffer and people will die.

NASA flying-car man designs electric VTOL podcraft

Nux Vomica

@markp 1

It gets better, now the flying retards have 45kg of pressurised hydrogen on board. I live near one of the busiest international airports in the world and my only concern about air crashes are that I won't get it on video if it ever happens. They're almost exclusively trained professionals up there.

Now driving to work every morning.. THAT scares the shit outta me.

Nux Vomica

Rush hour would be fun......

The average driver has enough trouble controlling a vehicle at far lower speeds in 2 dimensions with no danger from a power outage.

How's the average dimwit going to cope in 3D, far higher speeds (your reactions don't get any quicker), and the inevitable running out of juice? (Even if they manage to invent these magic batteries).

Fantastic for population control, but buggered if I'd live anywhere they were legal for unrestricted use.

For that matter can we dispense with belts and airbags in cars and just put a six inch spike in the middle of the steering wheel? That would make car crashes a self limiting problem.

And ANOTHER thing...........

Egyptian mobile users warned off Koran-based ringtones

Nux Vomica

"confusing the quotations and misdirecting themselves"

Oh Lordy no! Read it in the context of the book in which it was written you can take it or leave it, but if I hear it on a ringtone... I JUST GOTTA DO IT.. AND RIGHT NOW!

Why do people have to constantly reinforce the notion that unquestioned belief in a an omniscient supernatural deity implies gullibility?

Mind you, now that I've read Stephen King's "Cell"..................

Bogged-down Mars rover may be doomed to chilly death

Nux Vomica

Anyone else see a cheesy movie in this?

I can see Spielberg salivating already, the heroic tale of Opportunity circumnavigating the planet to rescue Spirit, ala "Silent Running"?

No...? OK, Just me then..........

O2 and Be Broadband speeds dip

Nux Vomica

02 - Cracking service

Only get the same 6MB rated speed as with BT (unsurprisingly as it's the same line), but no caps, no outages and on the one occasion I had to speak to someone (to sign up), the guy not only spoke English, but actually knew more than I did (not a high bar I admit, but one that BT never got near).

Oh and did I mention it's a third of the cost of BT?

Cyborg MIT prof touts iPhone-controlled power-jumping legs

Nux Vomica

F*ck with us and...

we'll rickroll your legs.........

Designers detail the cars of 2030

Nux Vomica

Yes, we used to draw these when we were kids too....

Nice doodles, but bugger all relation to reality. The vast majority of us will be driving the same dino burning piles of scrap we're driving now, peak oil or not.

I remember much the same kind of "predictions" illustrated in Custom Car magazine and Tomorrows World in the '70's, and I don't see much of that parked outside at the moment.

115,000 nabbed for in-car calling

Nux Vomica

@Alex 2

No problem, don't break the law and you don't get "fleeced". Or "punished" as socially responsible individuals call it.

Or do you think your "right" to break the law is worth killing a someone for?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/lawandorder/4435102/Woman-jailed-for-killing-motorist-while-sending-text-messages-at-the-wheel.html

Suzuki unveils fuel cell e-scooter

Nux Vomica
Thumb Down

Yeah this will really sell..........

20MPH average cruising speed is performance comparable to a 125CC scooter?

The only way that comparison will work is if you pop the safety on that 10K PSI H tank and light it.

And I'm guessing the price is going to be pretty stratospheric too.

Cyber security minister ridiculed over s'kiddie hire plan

Nux Vomica
IT Angle

Calm down folks, it's just politics

As with every other "policy" recent UK governments have come up with, it's primary objective is convince the masses that it's doing something, rather than actually achieving it's overtly stated objective.

This means that it can't actually publicly explain the complexities of the issue, but has to rely on something the average Joe can grasp, and more people have seen Swordfish/Matrix/WarGames, than have actually done any security work. Hence the crowd pleasing, but actually useless announcement.

As with every other "policy" recent UK governments have come up with, it's primary objective is convince the masses that it's doing something, rather than actually achieving it's overtly stated objective.

This means that it can't actually publicly explain the complexities of the issue, but has to rely on something the average Joe can grasp, and more people have seen Swordfish/Matrix/WarGames, than have actually done any security work. Hence the crowd pleasing, but actually useless announcement.

While I assume that most of us here are at least IT literate if not professionals, how many could actually claim to be qualified in IT security work to the kind of level required for this job? Not me.

I'm not defending the shite being peddled, just pointing out that it's more likely they don't have a clue either, so that's why they're trying to bullshit their way out of it, rather than fessing up. In politics, lying (even transparently) is always far preferable to honestly owning up, regardless of the question being asked. Most people aren't going to know it's bollocks, so in this as in so many other fields, they will get away with it.

While I assume that most of us here are at least IT literate if not professionals, how many could actually claim to be qualified in IT security work to the kind of level required for this job? Not me.

I'm not defending the shite being peddled, just pointing out that it's more likely they don't have a clue either, so that's why they're trying to bullshit their way out of it, rather than fessing up. In politics, lying (even transparently) is always far preferable to honestly owning up, regardless of the question being asked. Most people aren't going to know it's bollocks, so in this field, as in so many others, they will get away with it.

DARPA funds radical disco-copter concept

Nux Vomica

helicopter pilots are taught to shoot down through to kill another chopper

Just wondered how much air-to-air chopper combat there has actually been? Nice in the movies I admit (lovely scene in "Outbreak" for instance), but can't say I'm aware of a great deal other than that.

Knights Templar to Vatican: Give us back our assets

Nux Vomica

Re: The way It was explained to me

A Jewish school teaching that ..........

"a bunch of racist greedy arse hole frenchmen"

"ballsed up the middle east for everyone"

Stop, you're killing me!

Apple patent filing suggests solar powered iPhone

Nux Vomica

Dumb?

Charging a device and keeping it secure are entirely different issues 'ferchrissakes!

If you have trouble dealing with these two concepts and their interaction, I'd suggest it's a wetware problem not a technical one.

Ofcom climbs on Byron bandwagon

Nux Vomica

Can't handle technology OR kids?

Your kid, your house, your machine. It's naff all to do with the government (or anyone else) if you cannot be bothered to regulate this aspect of your childs behaviour.

If you cannot be bothered to do what it takes to properly educate and control your child, I don't see why it should be anyone elses problem.

There are plenty of other threats to children that we need to be spending money on that aren't under an individuals control and thus are a matter for society at large.

If you can't safely use a PC or raise a child you shouldn't bother acquiring either. Life's getting more complex, if you can't keep up, then stop polluting the gene pool.

Old Bill break up Bournemouth Bebo bash

Nux Vomica

As opposed to...

being well beaten?

US government forces military secrets on Brit webmaster

Nux Vomica
Coat

Not sure we would have responded much better over here.......

A couple of years back I stumbled across a website called kno3.com, which seemed to sell a suspiciously large number of explosive precursors in suspiciously small quantities, as well as a number of other interestingly dangerous substances. DMSO can be used with a wide range of poisons for instance and I can't think of a legitimate use for 5 metre lengths of plastic igniter cord. (Fun -yes, legit - no. I had an excitingly unsupervised childhood!)

Look it up on the Wayback Machine

http://web.archive.org/web/20060104051430/http://www.kno3.com/

Anyway, I tried reporting this to several different law enforcement agencies over about 3 months, but the site stayed up for well over a year, leading me to believe that it was either a honey trap, or more likely another indicator of just how much bollocks is reported in the media about the terrorist threat. Ill informed speculation being much more fun than dull fact, it seemed that a dreamed up device like a dirty bomb was more threatening than conventional explosives being openly offered for sale.

Mines the one without arm holes.