* Posts by kdh0009

48 publicly visible posts • joined 5 Oct 2012

TalkTalk plays 'no legal obligation' card on encryption – fails to think of the children (read: its customers)

kdh0009

She's right....

If you're head of a big company with lots of customers' personal data, you don't encrypt it for their benefit - you encrypt it for your own.

If a hacker steals a bunch of encrypted data and can't decrypt it, Bingo! no breach of the data protection act.

Since they didn't bother, there's a bunch of DPA fines coming their way.

Bosch, you suck! Dyson says VW pal cheated in vacuum cleaner tests

kdh0009

Bad tests and worse marketing

I think the problem is not that they have identified a way to cut the power when it's not necessary - more the fact that they seem to be claiming it's a 750W vacuum cleaner when in fact it's a 1600W cleaner.

If the box said, "1600W - with ActivePowerSaveMode(tm)" that would be fine, but then it also wouldn't get a top-level energy efficiency grade.

Android users left at risk... and it's not even THEIR FAULT this time!

kdh0009

Name and Shame

Sony's the worst aren't they?, aren't they?

SIX MILLION fingerprints of US govt workers nicked in cyber-heist

kdh0009

Where are my glasses?

"the ability to misuse fingerprint data is limited,"

That has to be a contender for short sighted statement of the year.

Blessed are the cheesemakers, for they have defined the smidge

kdh0009

Damn, where's the science?

I was hoping for some explanation of a study into how they arrived at these measurements.

Instead they went for the massively imaginative method of dividing a well known measurement by an integer (worse a standard series of integers).

Zero points for effort.

Android Wear 5.1: A more enduring wristjob for your pleasure

kdh0009

Has the wearables market matured already?

It does seem as though there are plenty of people (citation needed), considering whether to upgrade or change to a new type of smartwatch - whilst the masses look on wondering why on earth they would need such a thing.

Have we already reached the saturation point, as with tablets, where there are no first time buyers left?

Mastercard facial recog-ware will unlock your money using SELFIES

kdh0009
Facepalm

What?

"The new generation, which is into selfies ... I think they'll find it cool." - Not exactly high on the list of specifications required for a payment authorisation system, coolness.

"You can choose to use your fingerprint or your face - you tap it.." - Obligatory face-phone. Because facial recognition for security purposes has a long and storied history of being bollocks.

Flushed with success: No bog standard Canadian goldfish these

kdh0009

Re: optical illusion?

27cm or 10 and a bit inches if you look at the other scale on the ruler

Self-STOPPING cars are A Good Thing, say motor safety bods

kdh0009

Highway Code Distance

No worries, if you're at the recommended highway code distance there is no chance of you rear ending anyone.

Since those limits were conceived when brakes were somewhat less good..

Grand Theft Auto 1997: 'Sick, deluded and beneath contempt'

kdh0009

Re: buckfast

porkcharsui

Seriously though, thinking back I spent a lot of my youth standing my GTA man on walkways above freeways getting high speed police cars to mow down the hapless coppers standing underneath, unable to fathom how they couldn't arrest me from down there...

Forget the climate: Fatties are a much bigger problem - study

kdh0009

The joys of misrepresenting data

Good article, and a candidate for FoTW in its own right.

However you have slightly missed the climate point being presented by the nice graph on page 1.

The whole reason we have a climate change debate is because doing something about climate change is expensive, whilst not do something about climate change is essentially free (or at least the problem of some future generation to calculate). This is the explanation all of the red-state governers use to justify doing nothing about it.

But the graph is correct in that the ECONOMIC impact of climate change itself is either low (or massive, but incalculable in $ :-) )

Planning to fly? Pour out your shampoo, toss your scissors, rename terrorist Wi-fi!

kdh0009

Re: hmmm...

Maybe I'm just not vigilant enough but I can't say it would ever occur to me to report an SSID name to a member of the cabin crew whilst sitting on the tarmac.

Antarctic ice at all time high: We have more to learn, says boffin

kdh0009

IMHO...

There's gonna be a lot of comments here - remember when you read them that all should be prefixed with IMHO

'Bill Gates swallowing bike on a beach' is ideal password say boffins

kdh0009

Websites are the problem

As has been mentioned, most authentication is limited to a maximum number of characters which prevent using a really strong password.

Or worse

I tried "heroes in a half shell turtle power" on one site, and got a dialogue pop-up telling me my password required strengthening. Sack off

Brit telcos warn Scots that voting Yes could lead to hefty bills

kdh0009

A lesser spotted Scottish bank

But remember, under EU law a financial institution must be based in the country in which it does the most of its business.

Following a Yes vote, RBS (and most others) would remain a UK bank, not a Scottish bank. I think the Clydesdale bank would probably be the only Scottish bank left.

Russia, China could ban western tech if they want to live in the PAST

kdh0009

Secure or secure?

I would have thought Putin would have liked to see the spread of leaky backdoor products - can't have the populace keeping secrets from the state now.

Major problems beset UK ISP filth filters: But it's OK, nobody uses them

kdh0009

Re: BT

May depend how recently you changed your BT deal. I have changed mine slightly this summer and last, and was poked with the Parental Controls stick both times.

Google Maps adds all UK public transport timetables

kdh0009

"across Britain, Scotland and Wales" - a prediction for the future?

Star Wars Episode VII: The Ancient Fear of, er, a cheese-tastic title?

kdh0009

Re: Luke SkyMobilityScooter

Not sure why the desire to bring back the oldies. To paraphrase Peter Griffin - "Hi, I'm Han Solo, Captain of the Millennium Falcon and the only actor whose career isn't destroyed by this movie."

Another DEVASTATING Chelyabinsk METEOR STRIKE: '7x as likely' as thought

kdh0009

Reference point

Apologies if I missed the explanation in the story... but 'Seven times more likely' than what or when?

Blighty promises £49m to get more British yoof into engineering careers

kdh0009

Reading too much into El Reg subtitle, but...

It seems to be fairly widely accepted that this point of view is the reason for the decline in people studying Engineering. The perception of Engineering is way out of date for most people.

A 'grease monkey' is a mechanic.

FREEZE, GLASSHOLE! California cops bust Google Glass driver

kdh0009

Re: For everyone saying 'good'..

All of these are things which you can do without a distraction in front of your face, or are not likely to be possible..

A child running out from behind a car is no more visible to Glass than your own eyes.

A black box does not need to be a distraction in front of your eyes.

Learning to drive and observation will not be replaced by a fancy pair of specs.

kdh0009

Re: For everyone saying 'good'..

"However it is possible that a device like this could make a massive improvement in driver safety."

How?

Rorschach test suggested as CAPTCHA replacement

kdh0009

Better than CAPTCHA?

Rather than 'here's a distorted bunch of text, try to guess what it says' - you have 'here's a distorted picture, try to remember what you thought this was the last time you looked at it 3 months ago'.

Cue everyone needing a password reset anyway?

Panasonic throws in towel on plasma tellies, preps for BILLION-dollar kick in pants

kdh0009

It probably isn't a good thing for screen producers that the range of opinions is so wide. Just in the few comments already posted there are people who swear blind that Plasma >>> LCD and vice versa, (surely we can't all be right?)

Certainly my experience with Panasonic Plasma has been much worse than their LCDs but clearly the variation in their output is crazy wide.

BALLMER TO RETIRE FROM MICROSOFT

kdh0009
WTF?

Seriously though. Is Eadon on holiday? This forums is well onto two pages now and not a peep.

Jimbo Wales: ISP smut blocking systems simply 'ridiculous'

kdh0009
Happy

Re: Content Filters Help Me

Yes the advantages of individual ISP content filters are many.

But... that's a different thing to a UK wide opt in content net.

You will be free to opt in and still use your ISP's filters in the way you do now - so what do we gain from setting up a potentially very holey wall which can be knocked down with a checkbox?

First burger made of TEST-TUBE MEAT to be eaten on August 5

kdh0009
Thumb Up

Agreed. I don't buy strawberries until I can get them from a farm within about 200 miles of where I live. Any further than that or out of season is totally pointless.

On topic - I can't really see a downside to GM beef. Once they get it to taste the same and give the same nutrition, does it really matter where it came from? Especially when you consider all the side benefits of not turning half the world into a ranch.

Kids LIE about age on Facebook, gasps Brit ad watchdog

kdh0009

I don't know about other ISPs but BT offers a pretty comprehensive systems of blocks, filters and timers that can be applied to the Interwebs when they arrive at your house.

Pretty easy to stop under 13s getting on Facebook that way - and unless you're forking out for your kids to have unlimited mobile data the restriction on the wi-fi should be sufficient.

How about pointing people at these very easy to use controls, rather than setting up Great Firewall II?

Texas teen jailed for four months over sarcastic Facebook comment

kdh0009
Meh

Re: Do a search

I'm sure there is an over reaction here, that a little investigation might have put an end to in short order, however...

In the current climate, posting anything about any shooting up a school is going to get you the exact same treatment that you would have received for telling an airport official you were carrying a bomb in October 2001.

You *can* make jokes about Agent Orange as it happens, because (rightly or wrongly) the Vietnam War was a long time ago. Sandy Hook wasn't.

Run for your (private) lives! Facebook's creepy Graph Search is upon us

kdh0009
Meh

Re: Ooh creepy

Is it possible to 'rejoin' Facebook? I didn't think you could leave unless you were willing to make a full time job out of slowly erasing yourself post by post.

Microsoft announces $499 price tag, new games for Xbox One

kdh0009
Coat

Perhaps a little too self-indulgent...

I'm not actually so anti-Microsoft, but they deserve it this time.

I kinda wonder what they would have done if Sony had come out with their sales pitch first? Would they have tried to change anything? Or just gone out there and said "Erm yeah, it's more expensive and more restrictive, and you need a subscription - i'll get my coat"

Promises not to mock ElReg's most capitalised contributor again

kdh0009
FAIL

Yikes! $100 more than the PS4, phone-home requirement (unlike PS4) and second-hand game restrictions (unlike PS4)...

MICROSOFT NOT GIVING THE FANS WHAT THEY WANT FAIL

YES, Xbox One DOES need internet, DOES restrict game trading

kdh0009

We need the 'RIP' icon back

See title - cheerio games consoles

Give porno danger classes to Brit kids as young as FIVE - parents

kdh0009
FAIL

Re: Try parenting your kids for a change

Indeed, translates as - "83% of parents surveyed think that teachers should be responsible for bringing up their children".

Nonsense

Google Street View releases devastated Fukushima town tour

kdh0009
Thumb Up

Thumbs up to Google

Good on Google for their involvement here. I'm sure they haven't done it purely out of the goodness of their hearts but still a nice thing to do.

Good use of driverless cars (presumably), I knew there must be an application for those somewhere.

Apple refreshes MacBook Pro range

kdh0009

Re: *splutter* How much??

Indeed. Presumably this new range is only aimed at upgrading Fanbois. Unlikely to convert many people with their pricetags.

We're not making this up: Apple trademarks the SHOP

kdh0009
Stop

But.. all of Apple's shops are different?

I'd have thought in order to trademark a shop layout they would at least have to show that they brought all of their stores to a particular standard?

I'm sure many are familiar with the 5th Avenue Apple Store's above ground glass cube - which couldn't be much more different from the grand, old-school Apple Store in Glasgow.

Odd.

Apple, Google tumble off top 20 trusted companies list

kdh0009

Re: "Apple, Google tumble off top 20 trusted companies list"

The appearance of Google on the list suggests research might have gone something like this:

Man with clipboard in supermarket: "Which companies do you think can be trusted to responsibly handle your data?"

Supermarket punter: "Hmm, Google - that's a company I've heard of, maybe them."

It's the old "80% of people not savvy enough to avoid a researcher with a clipboard think <insert sensational headline here>".

Greenland ice did not melt in baking +8°C era 120k years ago

kdh0009
Thumb Up

Climate Change - really brings out the El Reg voting public

Always provokes a nice feisty debate!

General problems with the debate though.

1. Can the impact of various causes of climate change be accurately identified? Nope

2. Are we on the path to destruction? Nobody knows

3. In the face of huge global industrialisation and the refusal to play ball by the US and China in particular, can anyone make any difference? Unlikely

4. Is re-using/recycling a good idea and worth doing - even if it has no impact on the climate? Yes

5. Should be try to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels - even if it has no impact on the climate? Yes

It's not really a yes/no debate. We don't know the end result/we don't know what effect we are having. Might has well just get on with life, and if we can make any changes to reduce waste and consumption on the way. Bonus.

UK malls use Google in desperate stab at luring shoppers off the web

kdh0009
Happy

The power of positive thinking...

Am I alone, (or perhaps just dreaming), that once the interwebs have effectively killed off large chains from the high street, that there might just be a return to high streets full of independents?

There will always be a market for some shopping which is just better in person and landlords will be forced to reduce rental costs once the big players are gone if they want to make any money.

The high street *can* survive as long as it doesn't try to occupy the same space as the internet.

Word wonks insist GIFs are really JIFs

kdh0009
Meh

Serious commentard fodder

Not that it matters how one pronounces it, but...

If you say "gif", there is no confusion.

If you say "jif", that could be construed as other things.

Gif's away - who uses them anyway?

Omnishambles beats off mummy-porn, becomes English word of 2012

kdh0009

Re: "To Medal" - only slightly less offensive than "Winningest"...

Sadly not.

I think it raised its head during the Olympics when an American commentator used it to describe Michael Phelps having won more gold medals than any other Olympian. At the time it seemed to be laughed off by Sue Barker et al as poor grammar on the part of the commentator, rather than an accepted word.

As a watcher of various American sports however, I can attest to the fact that its usage is wide-ranging and frequent to describe 'those who have won more <games> <championship> <etc> than others'.

(occasionally you can detect a slight cringe in the voices of the better educated commentators who realise that it isn't good English, but they use it as it is well understood in the US)

kdh0009
Thumb Down

"To Medal" - only slightly less offensive than "Winningest"...

...which is still used day-in and day-out in the US

Chinese e-cars to turn London cabs green

kdh0009
Thumb Down

Classic Boris

"It is my aim that London's minicabs and taxis will be zero-emission by 2020, which will have a major impact on air quality"

Yes - anywhere near a power station the air quality is going to plummet to provide London with its 'zero-emission' minicab fleet.

Craig, Connery or ... Dalton? Vote now for the ultimate James Bond

kdh0009
Happy

Connery. But don't underestimate Lazenby's contribution...

George Lazenby - sadly forever the scapegoat for 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service' which doesn't rank too highly on many people's favourite Bond film lists.

OHMSS was a big step change from the films the public had become used to under Connery's reign, and was probably a bit commercially risky because of that. Had Connery played that part would it have been better received? I highly doubt it, and Connery's reputation as the best would also have taken a beating.

Vote NOW for the vilest Bond villain

kdh0009

Convincingly unpleasant..

Has to be Sanchez. Whilst he's far from the 'best' villain or the smartest villain or the most world-dominatingly deluded villain, he can easily be considered the one you would least want to meet.

A classic Bond villain has enough charm to be tolerable for a while. You would not want to be anywhere near Sanchez for any time at all.

The tips stop here: Starbucks to take Square Wallet payments

kdh0009
WTF?

Re: Tipping?! At Starbucks?!

Seconded. Since when was tipping for coffee standard practice? Even in the States?