The government should be funding students, especially in shortage areas, to encourage as many talented people as possible to do an appropriate degree. All of the crap about opening up access by making any halfwit who can afford it able to go to university is one of the most damaging things that can be done to education, IMO.
Two words for you: Media Studies
WTF? What does this do for you? I totally agree with the comments on Engineering/Physics/Chemistry, but what good does "Media Studies" do to anyone?
Mind you, since the UK is an interested party in the war, I'm not sure that the BBC is neccesarily the best way to go. I've been looking at the CBC page [www.cbc.ca] as well -- Canada is of course a US ally, but they're not happy with this whole thing and they don't mind saying so.
Surely the point is that they should make NO comment?
Matt
I think it was in the UK rather than Ireland (I believe this is from Channel 4 but Google has lost the full attribution):
HOW BRITAIN EAVESDROPPED ON DUBLIN
THE MINISTRY of Defence "Electronic Test facility", a rather mysterious 150-ft high tower stands isolated in a British Nuclear Fuels Limited site at Capenhurst, Cheshire. Locals knew that the tower housed a dark secret but did not know what it was. That secret is now out.
The tower was craftily erected between two BT microwave radio towers carrying telephone traffic. The ETF was the ideal place to discreetly intercept international telephone calls of the Irish government, businessmen and those of suspected of involvement with IRA terrorism.
Channel 4 filmed extensive BT equipment inside the building, including optical fibre cables linking the tower to the MoD's communication system.
The hi-tech white ETF tower included eight floors of advanced electronic equipment and three floors of aerial galleries.
These were used to extract and sort the thousands of communications passing through every hour. Fax messages, e-mails, telexes and data communications were automatically sorted by computers scanning their contents for key words and subjects of interest. Telephone calls could be targeted according to the numbers dialled or by identifying the voice of the speaker.
At the time the tower first came into operation the IRA campaigns were raging.
Relations between the British and Irish government's were not always smooth, with the British suspecting their Irish counterparts of being sympathetic to the IRA.
Since the early 1990s, the British electronic spy agency GCHQ and its American counterpart NSA have developed sophisticated libraries of voice profiles to use in scanning international telephone messages.
The ETF tower was operated by personnel from an RAF unit based in Malvern, Worcestershire. The "special signals" section of the RAF "Radio Introduction Unit" install and run projects for GCHQ.
According to local residents, the site was manned 24 hours a day by a team of two to three people, until the start of 1998.
Besides the Capenhurst tower, communications to and from the Irish Republic were also intercepted at a similar but smaller GCHQ station in County Armagh. This intercepts microwave radio and other links between Dublin and Belfast.
A third GCHQ station at Bude, Cornwall, intercepts western satellite communications, including to and from Ireland.
From 1990 until 1998 the Capenhurst ETF tower intercepted the international communications of the Irish Republic crossing from Dublin to Anglesey on a newly installed optical fibre submarine cable, called UK-Ireland 1.
From Anglesey, the signals were carried across Britain on British Telecom's network of microwave radio relay towers, centred on the BT Tower in London.
The key link, from Holyhead in Anglesey to Manchester, passes directly over the Wirral peninsula to the south of Birkenhead. The ETF tower was built to pop up into this beam.
When the new cable was planned in the mid 1980s, intelligence specialists at the Defence Ministry and GCHQ Cheltenham, the electronic spying headquarters, realised that the radio beams passed directly over the nuclear processing plant at Capenhurst.
During 1988, a temporary interception system was built on the roof of the BNFL factory. When tests of the Irish interception system proved successful, intelligence chiefs decided to go ahead with a full-scale system.
Within the Defence Ministry, the project was classified "Top Secret Umbra". The codeword Umbra is used to designate sensitive signals intelligence operations.
Not even BNFL, on whose land the ETF tower was built, was let into the secret.
The Ministry of Defence held a meeting with residents early in 1989 and urged them not to talk about the site. In return, they were given free fencing and double glazing.
The architects were told that the tower had to contain three floors of aerial galleries, each with four special "dielectric" windows. These are opaque to visible light, but allow radio beams to enter.
By building the tower in this way, no-one could see what aerials were inside, or where they were pointing.
But the architects' plans, lodged at the local authority offices, revealed the true purpose of the tower.
The plans revealed that the radio transparent windows had to be aligned on an extremely precise compass bearing of 201.12 degrees to magnetic north.
Aerials pointing through these windows would point precisely at the British Telecom towers at Gwaenysgor, Clwyd, and Pale Heights, near Chester. These are the towers carrying the Ireland's international communications links through Britain.
During installation in 1989 and 1990, defence officials were concerned to conceal what was going into the tower. To disguise it, contractors vans were repainted in the livery of BT and other public utilities. BT refused to say whether this had been done with their knowledge and consent.
Since the Irish telecommunication moved onto a different system over a year the Capenhurst tower has been made redundant. The Ministry of Defence are trying sell it off.
It would not make a very comfortable home and it is hard to see what legitimate business might now be interested.
The Defence Estate organisation said this week that it had extended the time for offers to be made. It would accepts bids for the tower up to midday today.
The Home Office said: "In accordance with standard practice, the Government does not comment on alleged interception activity." BT said it did not wish to comment.
The Irish government said it would comment later.
History of the Eavesdropping Agency
THE BRITISH Government's eavesdropping agency, the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), is based in Cheltenham.
It was set up 1946 after the success of the Government Code and Cipher School in Bletchley of cracking the German Enigma codes during the Second World War.
It is responsible for monitoring telecommunications and telephone calls in Britain and around the world and employs some 4,000 people. It works closely with MI6.
GCHQ uses state-of-the-art equipment for a wide range of operations to decrypt diplomatic traffic and to identify the voices of individuals who are of interest to the West's intelligence services.
GCHQ officers have been closely involved in the British efforts to tackle the IRA. GCHQ also works closely with the US eavesdropping operation, the National Security Agency. The agencies work together on a system called "Echelon", an integrated global surveillance network intercepting international satellite and communications links. It is said to have benefited the US and UK with information about arms and trade deals.
Until 1975 few people outside the intelligence community knew about the existence of GCHQ.
In the Eighties, Margaret Thatcher took union rights away from GCHQ staff on the basis that trade unionists were a potential threat to national security. Those rights have now been restored. After the Cold War, GCHQ cut back on staff numbers. The Cheltenham headquarters is being rebuilt at a cost of pounds 300m.
One reason I can think that you might need this many channels would be if you were streaming a feed to a corporate or dorm LAN. OK, so the poster didn't mention streaming they mentioned PVR, but lots of people are asking "why do you need that many?". Well, that's a reason. Now, can anyone point me towards a decent media streaming solution for Linux please? (I'm serious!) Thanks, Matt
I am certainly not all-knowing, but one of my biggest deterents to calling any help desk is that 9 times out of 10, they don't know any more than I do, and in some cases they no less. In setting up a help desk, determine who you are trying to cater to, and then make sure your attendants are more knowledgeable
You're missing one of the reasons for having a helpdesk here - tracking the regular, niggling faults that plague an organisation. OK, let's say that you know how to fix that awkward printer driver problem that you have, and you know how to fix the same problem that a colleague has. Sure, it gives you a warm fuzzy feeling to fix it, but by not reporting these repetitive problems to the helpdesk it masks a deeper problem - that the driver software the organisation is rolling out to the desktops is buggy. A good helpdesk (or more likely a decent trouble ticketing system) will notice these repeated problems & flag them. Matt
I can remember a few dreams that I had of being able to fly when I was about 6 or 7 yrs of age (I'm 37 now). The dream usually involved me floating around my school of that time. How I floated was interesting though; I simply raised my knees to my chest, and tilted my body forwards & this let me float in a forwards direction.
I seem to remember reading somewhere that this was a memory of floating in the womb & a foetal position! I'm sure I didn't dream *that* too (the reading, that is..)! Anyone else with similar dreams??
Hope I'm not too late posting here..Hawkin's Bazaar here in the UK sell all manner of low-tech toys, and will ship internationally (although it may be wise to club together with some friends & buy a load of stuff & split the postage) Matt
Wouldn't normally reply to one of my own posts, but...
I don't think I made it quite clear that the {{insert user id}} part was as it came in the email, i.e. it was a total form letter that they'd forgotten to fill in.
Here's the response I got from Ebay when I thought I detected shill bidding:
To: Matt {matt_wilts} Subject: Re: Possible shill bidding on auction 1235911285 (KMM28339167C0KM) From: eBay UK Investigations {ukinvestigations@ebay.com} Reply-To: eBay UK Investigations {ukinvestigations@ebay.com}
Hello Matt,
Thank you for writing to us.
I sincerely apologize for the delay of this e-mail and hope that it did not cause you any inconveniences!
I have investigated your report regarding {{ insert user id }}, and can understand how this would be troublesome.
Please be assured, if a violation of eBay policy has occurred, we will take the appropriate action in accordance with our site policies. Such action may include issuing a warning, temporary suspension, indefinite suspension or terminating the membership.
Due to eBay's Privacy policy we are unable to provide information regarding the details of another user's account. We are equally concerned about violations on the site, and will thoroughly investigate each report we receive. However, the details of our actions cannot be disclosed with third party members. Please remember that this is for the protection of all eBay users.
We appreciate your assistance in keeping eBay a fun and safe place to trade..
I hope you have a wonderful week! Regards, Darcy eBay UK SafeHarbour Investigations Team
Must be some new use of the word "safe" that I've not yet come across...
Also at the Science Museum in London is part of Crick & Watson's original model of the DNA molecule. Made the hairs on my neck stand up when I saw it in the cabinet. I agree with the previous poster about the Difference Engine, it's a beautiful piece of engineering. Matt
>They should recommend avoiding Windows if their problem is security.
I know we're really talking about desktops here, but in the past the BBC have certainly run their news site on Linux. Check Netcraft
The only fly in the ointment is that they persist in using Real Audio for any audio content they serve (and I've mailed them more than once when they ask for comments about this). They trialled OGG last year, I don't know what became of that.
>Geez. This is like sending out virus attachments to people in hopes of getting them to buy your anti-virus software.
You joke about this, but my company has recently seen an exponential growth in the amount of spam email, which we believe is a result of our recent enquiries to a number of companies regarding filtering software.
I don't know about that - I worked for Wcom in the UK as a techie. The Account Managers were on between 3x - 4x salary than that of the technical staff (& I was a senior engineer). And that figure was BEFORE any commission. It's one of the reasons I jumped ship in 1997. Maybe the US is different.
Matt
How about a spin on the old Space Invaders screen idea? Mount the screen face down in an overhead cupboard, and place a hinged mirror underneath. You'd need to flip the image on screen in software, I don't know how you might do this, but it's a cheap & cheerful way to get round the "invisible" screen issue. You could even use the mirror to leave messages on.
I'm really surprised that no-one has come up with a system where you can basically "extend" a phone's reach, using 2 Linux boxes & 2 voice modem cards.
Slashdot Mirror
Two words for you: Media Studies
WTF? What does this do for you? I totally agree with the comments on Engineering/Physics/Chemistry, but what good does "Media Studies" do to anyone?
Predictably Slashdotted. FP?
..well, not so much spot as Slashdot. Predictably suffering.
Surely the point is that they should make NO comment?
Matt
Why don't they feed a little of the power produced back into heating the blades during icy conditions?
>wedding customized condoms...you know, condom's where the package says
>"Dave & Rachels Wedding, January 24th, 2002", or whatever is applicable...
Better still, print that down the length of the condom. When it says "DaRWin2" it's time to remove it...
Matt
>he provably still wapits to the lingerie section of the Sears catalog.
Doesn't everyone??
Shit......
One reason I can think that you might need this many channels would be if you were streaming a feed to a corporate or dorm LAN. OK, so the poster didn't mention streaming they mentioned PVR, but lots of people are asking "why do you need that many?". Well, that's a reason.
Now, can anyone point me towards a decent media streaming solution for Linux please? (I'm serious!)
Thanks, Matt
You're missing one of the reasons for having a helpdesk here - tracking the regular, niggling faults that plague an organisation. OK, let's say that you know how to fix that awkward printer driver problem that you have, and you know how to fix the same problem that a colleague has. Sure, it gives you a warm fuzzy feeling to fix it, but by not reporting these repetitive problems to the helpdesk it masks a deeper problem - that the driver software the organisation is rolling out to the desktops is buggy. A good helpdesk (or more likely a decent trouble ticketing system) will notice these repeated problems & flag them.
Matt
Not a free one, but as far as I know, the oldest trademark is the Bass red triangle.
Matt
And I really wouldn't have a problem with that, if it meant I could surf for free.
Matt
This is a little convoluted, but bear with me...
I can remember a few dreams that I had of being able to fly when I was about 6 or 7 yrs of age (I'm 37 now). The dream usually involved me floating around my school of that time. How I floated was interesting though; I simply raised my knees to my chest, and tilted my body forwards & this let me float in a forwards direction.
I seem to remember reading somewhere that this was a memory of floating in the womb & a foetal position! I'm sure I didn't dream *that* too (the reading, that is..)! Anyone else with similar dreams??
Matt
Hope I'm not too late posting here..Hawkin's Bazaar here in the UK sell all manner of low-tech toys, and will ship internationally (although it may be wise to club together with some friends & buy a load of stuff & split the postage)
Matt
Wouldn't normally reply to one of my own posts, but...
I don't think I made it quite clear that the {{insert user id}} part was as it came in the email, i.e. it was a total form letter that they'd forgotten to fill in.
Numpties.
Matt
Must be some new use of the word "safe" that I've not yet come across...
Matt
Also at the Science Museum in London is part of Crick & Watson's original model of the DNA molecule. Made the hairs on my neck stand up when I saw it in the cabinet.
I agree with the previous poster about the Difference Engine, it's a beautiful piece of engineering.
Matt
>Incidentally, the locals refer to non-locals as grockles.
Another term used is "emmet" which also means "ant".
Emmets & Grockles
Matt
>Also, humans are more capable of kicking the
>artist's ass if he/she fucks up.
Mind you, it's considered bad form to eat the arm after a bad tattoo (which cannot be said for the pork shoulder, yum!)
>They should recommend avoiding Windows if their problem is security.
I know we're really talking about desktops here, but in the past the BBC have certainly run their news site on Linux. Check Netcraft
The only fly in the ointment is that they persist in using Real Audio for any audio content they serve (and I've mailed them more than once when they ask for comments about this). They trialled OGG last year, I don't know what became of that.
Matt
>They must have used a huge pringles can.
c/pringles/garbage
>Geez. This is like sending out virus attachments to people in hopes of getting them to buy your anti-virus software.
You joke about this, but my company has recently seen an exponential growth in the amount of spam email, which we believe is a result of our recent enquiries to a number of companies regarding filtering software.
Matt
I don't know about that - I worked for Wcom in the UK as a techie. The Account Managers were on between 3x - 4x salary than that of the technical staff (& I was a senior engineer). And that figure was BEFORE any commission. It's one of the reasons I jumped ship in 1997. Maybe the US is different.
Matt
How about a spin on the old Space Invaders screen idea? Mount the screen face down in an overhead cupboard, and place a hinged mirror underneath. You'd need to flip the image on screen in software, I don't know how you might do this, but it's a cheap & cheerful way to get round the "invisible" screen issue. You could even use the mirror to leave messages on.
Matt
I'm really surprised that no-one has come up with a system where you can basically "extend" a phone's reach, using 2 Linux boxes & 2 voice modem cards.
Or have they, and I just haven't found it yet?
Matt