Posts by Graeme Sutherland

Element 115

I'm really disappointed that Element 115 doesn't exhibit any of the characteristics that Bob Lazar claimed back in the 1980s. Chief of which was that it was used as a power source for flying saucers.

Had it done so, we could have called it Lazarium, Alium, or something similar. Ah, well.

Laboratory Coat

I can't believe that a picture of the lab coat wasn't posted. It's surely the most important boffin-related item in the whole document.

Works well

I can't comment about the security aspects, as that's not my speciality, but the app itself does what it says on the tin.

I just set up a trans-Pacific call to my brother, who gave me the heads up an hour ago, and the quality was better than phone or Skype.

I know this is the Reg, and we're a bunch of grumpy, cynical buggers. But it seems to work well, and it's free. So I can't complain too much.

First they try to trip up Atlas. Then they swing weights at it.

If they're not careful they'll be getting a killer android with an Austrian accent from the future turning up on their doorstep as payback...

New name for SkyDrive

Microdrive.

Permanent Residence

It's not that hard for an IT professional to get permanent residence. It'll take about a year from start to finish, but has a lot fewer restrictions than a 457.

A few years back programmers were on a critical skills list, and you'd have gone to the head of the queue. Not sure what the situation is now.

We're all genius programmers here

It appears that every commentard on El Reg is in upper quartile of programming ability. Congratulations chaps, have a pat on your back and a gold star.

The reason that other programmers' code looks worse than our own is that it's always hard to understand others works, and so we automatically mark it down. Years ago I heard a group of coders denigrating one of their former colleagues once from writing really weird C++. From what I saw of his work, he was a lot more able than they were. Unfamiliarity with his techniques meant that his skills were denigrated.

As for self-documenting code, I'll believe it when I see it.

The fact is that there are very, very few developers who write in a clear, concise and well-structured fashion, or bother to produce comments or documentation without being prompted. I've come across a handful in recent years as a contractor, but I'm not working in the rarefied heights of investment banking.

We all think we're great, but in truth, most of us aren't.

Mistake Not...

Surely you need at least one reference to the Culture. My favourite has to be the Mistake Not... Or, by it's full name: Mistake Not My Current State Of Joshing Gentle Peevishness For The Awesome And Terrible Majesty Of The Towering Seas Of Ire That Are Themselves The Milquetoast Shallows Fringing My Vast Oceans Of Wrath.

You really can't get any more badass than a name like that for an AI.

El Reg Air Arm

And there I was thinking that the El Reg Air Arm was parked here. (Zoom in a bit.)

https://maps.google.com/maps?ll=34.602884,-118.085856

Legal Tactics

Bear in mind that it's a valid tactic for a small business to secure a judgement against another company in the small claims arena before seeking further damages in the higher courts. If the case is won then it gives credence to subsequent suits.

I'm not convinced by all the talk that Facebook lacks deep mobile experience. Learning how to code for Android is straightforward if you've got a Java background. The iPhone is a bit more tricky, simply because you need to learn Objective C.

If you hire decent, experienced developers and are willing to invest a bit of time in nurturing and training them, then there's no reason why Facebook couldn't have been as good as any other shop within six months. They wouldn't even need a particularly big team either, as their app isn't that complex.

My guess is that it probably comes down to project management, and perhaps poor design and implementation of the app. The article makes it sound as though there was in-fighting between teams. Facebook's "Hack" culture could also be at odds with the sort of boring old software engineering practices that get things done too.

The reason Java failed

The main reason that J2ME failed to gain traction in the early noughties was due to platform fragmentation. An app that would run fine on one device would lock up on another, and every handset manufacturer would have a different API for audio functions. The bulk of work would be porting code between phones.

On top of that the operators would only allow sales through their individual stores, and would take the bulk of the revenue for the privilege. Then there was a (now-defunct) games publisher notorious for not paying its third party developers. The economics didn't add up.

What's changed things is Apple's app store, which has allowed an ecosystem to build up around the iPhone. This has been largely copied by other platforms, some of whom use Java based platforms.

Remember the hard drives

I've seen article in hi-fi magazines where they were comparing how hard drives and digital interconnects could affect the sound quality. Apparently replacing these has a noticeable effect on the sound quality.

When I lived in Bristol, my landlord had a pair of Quad ESL 57s, and I was impressed when I heard them. I really should get a pair. But if you're really dedicated then you can stack them...

http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/planars-exotics/201500-stacked-pair-quad-esl-57-a.html

Software Compatibility

I've got a three year old MacBook Pro, which runs Leopard.

Over the last six months I've found that new software is incompatible. I can't download a new version of Java from Oracle, and Chrome is now telling me that it will no longer update itself. This seriously restricts my Mac's usability.

As others have mentioned, if I want to upgrade to Mountain Lion then I need to get Snow Leopard first. It'd be nice if Apple offered a direct upgrade. Spending £60 or £70 to restore functionality to a machine that's getting on isn't really attractive, and this forced obsolescence has really put my off the brand in future.

The BMI is pointless argument is common amongst serious gym goers, but I'm not entirely convinced.

There have been a few studies that show that a trainer who doesn't use steroids can expect to gain lean mass to the point where their Fat Free Mass Index (FFMI), which is their BMI ignoring body fat, is around 25. (The boffins who did the work added a small adjustment, but it's not far off.)

If someone is above this limit then either they're underestimating their body fat (which seems very common), or pumping themselves full of drugs (which can have unfortunate and damaging side effects). The hypothetical bodybuilder with a BMI of 40 is probably rather unhealthy.

So someone of my height (6'3" / 1.9 meters) could expect to build a maximum lean weight of 215 lbs / 88 kg. Working back through the numbers, at a BMI of 30 (108 kg), such an individual would be around 19% body fat, which is getting towards the overweight category. At 117 kg, which gives a BMI of 32.5, body fat would be around 25%, which is considered obese in men.

I reckon that BMI has some merit, and a lot of those who say it doesn't count because they pump iron have a habit of being on the slightly chunky side, despite their impressive biceps.

Permanent Residence

It's pretty straightforward to get permanent residence (a 175 / 176 visa) if you're in IT. The process will take a year, cost two or three thousand quid, but is generally pretty straightforward.

If you can follow instructions then you don't necessarily need to hire an immigration agent either, which is another big saving. :)

From what I've heard, I'd agree with the characterisation that the east coast is suffering, whilst the resources sector is booming. In fact, a friend reckons the state of Victoria is already in a recession. The trouble is that most of the IT work is in Sydney and Melbourne.

At the current exchange rates, contract rates seem to be on a par with London (most are $600 to $900 per day, about £400 to £600), permanent salaries are a touch higher. Living costs are higher, and some things, such as cars, are eye-watering.

Housing is also really expensive. Melbourne is on a par with London, whereas Sydney is completely bonkers. Prices have started to slide, by around 5% in the last year. If this is the start of a bubble bursting, then the Australian economy could be in for a rough ride as a large proportion of the population has significant mortgage debt, or even loss-making investment properties.

I'm tempted to head over there later this year, though probably as a temporary (6 to 12 months) stint.

Business versus Technical

The common theme in Dominic's articles is that if you want to earn decent money then you've got to stop thinking purely along the lines of a technical career, and consider the wider business case.

I work as a contractor, and short of getting a banking gig (which is difficult without prior experience in the sector), I can't see any way of significantly improving my lot without radically rethinking my approach. The options that appear to be open to me are either moving into project management, and climbing the greasy pole, or trying to start my own venture with its attendant risk.

Sure, Dominic's being mildly inflammatory, but he's trying to get us to think.

I've found that managers are easily impressed by shiny baubles, like a slick transition in a GUI, but don't understand why you might spend days working out how to handle the badly formatted and undocumented JSON spewed out by a third party web service.

The root cause is that programmers operate in a very abstract field, whereas managers deal with the concrete. That's a big culture clash, and since they're in charge, we're going to come off worst.

Dominic's article is about managing the managers, and knowing how the game is played. Sure, not everyone is motivated by earning more, but being able to hang onto what you've got in an era of shrinking incomes and rising costs is a good thing. And being seen as someone who gets things done means you're likely to be given the more interesting projects. That strikes me as win-win...

I don't get the hostility. We live in an imperfect world, deal with it.

Could be interesting

From what little I've heard about Prometheus, it's moved from being a straight Alien prequel to something that sounds influenced by The Forever War and possibly some of Olaf Stapledon's books. It could actually prove to be something more intelligent than just people getting eaten by Aliens.

I wouldn't be surprised if it ends up being much more influenced by the book, as Lottie suggests.

The Operators' Cut

No-one has picked up on this sentence in the original article:

"The ability to sell Microsoft and Nokia applications and content through the operator portal – driven from a central Nokia/Microsoft-run database – is exactly what they want."

Historically the operators demanded their pound of flesh, and then some, as a cut from developers selling applications through their portals. Apple's App Store changed all this, and I suspect that's rather upset people running the networks, particularly as they're missing out on revenue that they see as being rightfully theirs.

But that begs a question: Are developers going to write for a platform that gives them 70% of the gross, or one that gives them much less? (I've heard rumours of 10% rates for developers in the past.)

If app sales are an important part of the "ecosystem", then Microsoft and Nokia are going to have difficulty attracting developers if it becomes even harder for them to make a living. That could slow adoption.

Why would the US extradite Assange?

I'm not convinced that the US would want to extradite Assange to prosecute him for spying. If they do that then he immediately becomes a martyr to the Wikileaks cause.

But a conviction of rape or sexual assault would destroy his reputation. Even if the bare allegations aren't criminal, pressuring a woman into having sex without contraception strikes me as being both massively selfish and irresponsible. And he doesn't seem to have treated either Miss A or Miss W particularly well.

I support what Wikileaks is doing, but I've got real issues with Assange's behaviour. His claims that intelligence services are setting him up strike me as being similar to a preacher blaming the devil for making him do it.

If there is a conspiracy against him, then I suspect that the agencies are merely feeding and spinning information. And this will be a far, far more effective way of destroying him than locking him up in the US for the next 20 years.

It's CGI

Given that the credits include this line:

Illustrator/CGI: Carsten Mainz

I'd say that it's all rendered. :)

Fun and Profits

How many developers actually make decent profits on the iPhone?

I've been told (by someone with excellent industry contacts) that it's not really worthwhile writing apps. There are too many competing programs, making it hard to get yours noticed.

Come the Apocalypse...

With the collapse of the banking sector, impending environmental breakdown, and no doubt some whack-brained scheme from a DARPA boffin who thinks that Skynet is a good idea, I'd say that the future's looking a bit Mad Max.

Let's face it, in a post-apocalyptic landscape stalked my mutants and trigger-happy cyborgs, you want to be (or have around) a big, burly bloke with biceps like the Brecons.

By declaring war on tall men who are blessed with a high BMI, the government is threatening human survival. Obviously they're being typically shortsighted.

Electric Bikes

There are already a huge number of electric bikes (essentially an EV scooter) in urban China. So I wouldn't be surprised if they've got more experience in this field than the US corporations.

The smog in Beijing is terrible. It's like fog. Anything that can clear it up is a good thing.

RE: beat the rush

Since I'm already outside of Blighty, I've really beaten the rush. :)

Dagahra and Hangzhou

That's just typical. I'm in the process of organising a trip to Hangzhou, only to find out that the city's going to get flattened by a monster the size of a skyscraper.

Thanks boffins!

On the other hand if I take a video camera along, I can make a Cloverfield style film about my experienes. I'll just have to avoid getting eaten. :)