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User: Necronomicode

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  1. Re:heh on Nvidia GeForce GTX 780 Ti Review: GK110, Fully Unlocked · · Score: 1

    This sounds a bit biased to me. Firstly Toms isn't the only site. Secondly taking into account something which is currently non-existent to test is pretty tricky.

    What performance advantage are you going to give the Mantle API without knowing anything about it? The best they can do is give the figures they currently get for both cards and add an addendum which states that Mantle may improve the performance for the AMD cards. They should probably add that in real world situations the ATI may have performance degradation due to heat if they're being fair.

    From my perspective the current AMD offering is too hot, the Nvidia is too expensive. AMD are being cheap releasing a card which may not perform due to temps, Nvidia were being cheap not releasing the Ti before they needed to due to competition. Swings and roundabouts as they say, but competition is good.

    I'm genuinely interested in what Mantle will bring to the table - it better be good or AMD are gonna get roasted for the hype train they've created, but fingers crossed.

  2. Re:Overall right but unlikely to happen on Battlefield Director: Linux Only Needs One 'Killer' Game To Explode · · Score: 1

    You can always run your Linux environment in a VirtualBox rather than using cygwin. I use Debian with an eclipse development IDE all linked to an SVN server, all works perfectly well in a VM. I've got nothing against cygwin (used it at work quite extensively) but it does have a few gotchas that can be avoided by having a standard linux environment.

  3. Re:The map one was prickish. on Georgia Cop Issues 800 Tickets To Drivers Texting At Red Lights · · Score: 1

    So going with this style of law enforcement:-
    If someone shoots a gun into a crowd and the bullet happens to miss everybody and embeds itself in a tree, then no crime has been committed, right?

  4. Re:Go ahead, re-invent that wheel on Learning To Code: Are We Having Fun Yet? · · Score: 1

    Yeah, I've seen this numerous times.

    Them: We decided to write our own protocol for this interface
    Me: Why didn't you go for the fully tested standard protocol that we're already using on this other interface which is fundamentally the same?
    Them: Just in case we wanted to add some extra stuff to it.
    Me: Have we added extra stuff?
    Them: No
    Me: Well given that I've just found a basic design error in this new protocol that means it doesn't error trap I'm guessing it didn't get a lot of testing.
    Them: Really? Oh that's a problem, we've burnt this into silicon for some of our other devices already.

    And the classic one where their memory management routines cause problems, I replace them quite quickly with new versions. They all wonder how I managed to do it so quickly and they work so well. I explain that a number of years ago a guy called Donald Knuth wrote a book called "The Art Of Computer Programming" and they came from that. None of them have heard of it - go figure.

  5. Re:Stupid premise, stupid code on Learning To Code: Are We Having Fun Yet? · · Score: 1

    " It should be difficult to write the same, simple function in multiple ways".

    I'm interested in why you think this part is important. I would assume that any programming language that is restrictive enough to have only one way of writing a simple function would also be less versatile. The question would then become "Does the versatility outweigh the predictability." I would also expect it to be a continuum rather than a binary chose, with various programming languages littered across the spectrum. But maybe there's a sweet spot.

    I welcome any insights into how people value predictability and versatility and the corresponding secondary effects e.g. code review, bug finding, performance etc.

  6. Re:this just in on Intel's Wine-Powered Microprocessor · · Score: 1

    Jesus juice maybe?

  7. Re:Your Fingerprint isn't ever stored in flash on German Data Protection Expert Warns Against Using iPhone5S Fingerprint Function · · Score: 1

    I don't know the design of the fingerprint device so my comment here may not apply to this device specifically but it's still a thing worth thinking about.

    The security of the device is not that of the final destination of the data (the fingerprint data and the A7 in this case) but of the data path from the reception of the data to its final destination (and in this case I don't know what that is). You get a weakest link level of security. If any processing of the finger print data goes through a snoopable interface or storage area then your security is shot.

    You would hope that the design is such that the fingerprint device itself is attached to the A7 directlly with a completely separate bus, but I wouldn't put money on it. I'd need some hardware schematics and data sheets to know for sure.

    And comments from some users like "Is there any evidence at all that the fingerprint data store in the A7 is even usable outside of iOS?". That's backwards security thinking, you want evidence and assurances that it isn't usable/accessible before you start. Otherwise, you might want to pay top dollar for my new crypto routines that I've just knocked up as there's no evidence that they're a steaming pile of junk (yet).

  8. Re:Laptop fingerprint fad on Can the iPhone Popularize Fingerprint Readers? · · Score: 1

    Yeah I had an Arcos mp3 player until it got stolen, which came out well before the iPod.
    It was replaced by the insurance company with an iPod.

    So then I had to install iTunes to get music on it (the Arcos was treated as an external hard drive and you could drop whatever you liked on it via a file copy, though it would only play the mp3s). I couldn't move music between multiple PCs using it (you couldn't have more than one iTunes library), and I couldn't install a new OS on it (Rockbox for the Arcos) with lots of extra features. So, yeah, much 'better'.

    I use MediaMonkey now so most of that functionality has come back despite Apple's best wishes.
    This made me realise that the Apple eco-system didn't fit for me, I like to have more control - but each to his own.

  9. Re:Hmm on Fixing Fukushima's Water Problem · · Score: 2

    Erm, I think fluids cover liquids and gases and apparently some plastic solids - who knew?

    So:
    pneumatic = gas
    hydraulic = liquid
    would be more accurate.

  10. And the moral of this story is that whether you are a government, union, company or individual, power corrupts eventually.

  11. Re:The playbook is now written on Court Orders Retrial In Google Maps-Related Murder Case · · Score: 1

    Yeah, there's a large number of occurrences of that in English. One that annoys me from the town where I grew up was the use of the word pacfic instead of specific - must be a mishearing malapropism kind of thing, don't know if that particular one is common across the country though. There's also a tendency to use 'of' instead of 'have' in some instances e.g. 'he could of been a contender'. This sort of thing is probably countered by better literacy, being brought up in a farming town the older generations didn't read so much, so most language was passed down spoken.

    I do wonder how foreigners cope with these nuances of the English language, with all the euphemisms, sayings, it must be a struggle.

    One thing I have noticed frequently online is that peoples whose first language is not English tend to misuse 'since'.
    e.g. I have been working on this thing since one week.
    I suppose as since uses a fixed point and not a duration it's easily missed - but for a native English speaker its weird reading it, though the meaning is perfectly clear so it doesn't really matter.

    It'd be boring if it was all regular and simple :-)

  12. Re:The playbook is now written on Court Orders Retrial In Google Maps-Related Murder Case · · Score: 1

    Well, if you want to completely ignore common usage then technically the Ops use of 'beg the question' is indeed incorrect.
    The phrase 'begs the question' is also used to mean 'begs for the question' and is widely used in modern English today. I had no problem in understanding the meaning of the OP and as such his post succeeded.

    Here's a link showing the dual meaning (just showing that your assertion that it 'has a specific meaning' is also unsupported and that it doies mean what the OP intended):
    http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/beg+the+question

    Can't get more wronger than that ;-)

  13. They missed out my favourite on Amazon Selects Their Favorite Fake Customer Reviews · · Score: 4, Interesting
  14. Re:Paradox on Peter Capaldi Unveiled As the New Star of Doctor Who · · Score: 1

    And a whole series of Torchwood!

  15. Get them to hang up the quickest. on When Antivirus Scammers Call the Wrong Guy · · Score: 4, Informative

    I've had numerous calls like this. I've taken a number of different stances on dealing with it. On the last one I didn't really have the time or patience so it went like this:-
    Them: "Sir, we are ringing you about the errors on your computer".
    Me: "Oh, this scam again, trying to get money from people that don't know any better. I don't know how you get away with it, you should be ashamed or yourselves, ashamed!"
    Them: "Brrrrrrr....".

    Quickest hang up yet. Felt kinda sorry for the poor woman reading the script but if you're gonna work for 'Evil Inc.' then that's what you get.

    Other good tactics:
    "Oh, I'm out of work, actually could you lend me fifty quid?"
    "This is GCHQ madam, the UK government security center - it is a criminal offence to have access to our secure servers. Are you a terrorist?"
    "On mondays my papa sings my happy song, huh, huh, huh"

    Since they have a script maybe we should make one for us, just to see how they like it :-)

  16. Re:Anyone else think of CE3K on Researcher Runs IP Network Over Xylophones · · Score: 1

    Speilberg pffft.

    Try this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedy_Lamarr - secure communication using frequency hopping from an actress in 1941 ;-)

  17. Re:Please read this on The Windows 8 Power Struggle: Metro Vs Desktop · · Score: 1

    Perhaps you might want to read what emoticons mean - that ;-) at the end of the line means I'm joking. :-)
    Oh, and that article is just stupid, each user interface has its place and there's no point in calling people freetards, emotive rubbish, I'm not sure why you think anybody would rethink any position after reading that tripe. For a second I was expecting a detailed article about the merits and efficiencies of various CLIs and GUIs, but it's worse than that it's not even about CLI vs GUI it's about CLI as an API, irrelevant.
    Note I have not expressed an opinion about Metro positive or negative so no need to get defensive about it. I'll try it out and form an opinion for myself, you never know I might agree that it's great.

  18. Re:Please read this on The Windows 8 Power Struggle: Metro Vs Desktop · · Score: 1

    I've spent years learning shortcuts on my special UI and I can do an amazing amount of things really quickly. I can run myriad different apps and give them information about how and what I want them to do. It makes Metro look clunky in comparison. It's definitely the way to go.

    I'm thinking of calling it 'Command Line Interface" ;-)

  19. Re:Pedestrian problems? on Roundabout Revolution Sweeping US · · Score: 1

    Loddon Bridge Roundabout, yeah a road straight through it.

    But the worst thing about it, when the traffic load gets very high it grid locks completely. This is not a fault of the roundabout itself however, but the people who insist on getting through a green light regardless of the fact that all they'll be doing is parking in the way of the traffic thats about to get the green light, yellow hashed boxes or not (this applies equally to the Oracle roundabout).

    [For those that don't know some roundabouts and junctions that have lights also have yellow hashed boxes this is an area that cannot be stopped in, this is to stop people blocking other flows of traffic when the lights change. A driver is supposed to wait until both the light is green and there is free space beyond the hashed box for them to fill. Probably about 1 in 30 people pay attention to these boxes, unless it's one of those boxes that has a camera that fines you for stopping]

    Had a friend driving back to my place who came across the roundabout for the first time, he just stopped and looked at the mass of roads and traffic lights and just said "What do I do?". To be honest it's pretty simple but just a bit overwhelming the first time you see it.

    Oh and then there's junction 11 on the M4 - the amount of work that went on that you can bet we'll be paying for that in our taxes.

  20. Re:Once upon a time on A $99 Graphics Card Might Be All You Need · · Score: 1

    Molten rock? I remember when it was all just a bunch of probabilstic quantum waveforms, and in those days we had to collapse the waveforms ourselves!

  21. Re:3, 2, 1 on Subversion 1.5.0 Released · · Score: 1

    This is a ClearCase of joke gone too far.

  22. Does USB have the same problem? on Aging Security Vulnerability Still Allows PC Takeover · · Score: 1

    USB devices can use DMA too. How does it differ to Firewire?
    Does the driver in the OS restrict what a USB device can do before it's enumerated?
    Is it the USB controller that schedules the DMA or the driver?

    If the Controller chip can schedule a DMA without the device being enumerated then it looks like USB would exhibit the same security flaw. And USB ain't exactly uncommon.

  23. Weight of fuel on Nanoparticles Could Make Hydrogen Cheaper Than Gasoline · · Score: 1

    So since hydrogen is lighter than air does this mean that my car is lighter with a full tank than when it's nearly empty?
    (I am of course presuming that the spent fuel is replaced by air rather than the remaining fuel being contained at a lower pressure)
    That would make for an interesting change in the logistics of racing cars ;-)

  24. Re:What about Jet Set Willy? on Game Essentials - 20 Difficult Games · · Score: 1

    In fact the first released version of the game was indeed impossible to complete.
    A problem in some of the room data led to a feature called the 'attic bug'. Entering a particular room would cause corruption to the data in another room - upon entering this room you would soon die when one of the wandering monsters ran into a solid object. The old school collision detection couldn't tell the difference between the monster hitting you or something else.

    A couple of changes to the room data (pokes) and all was good.

  25. Grrrrr on Manhunt 2 Banned In Britain · · Score: 1

    All this banning of stuff is getting me angry ... I feel like getting a cricket bat and bashing a few politicians around the head.
    Hold on a second, I've noticed a direct correlation between people banning things and it causing violence.
    The solution is obvious - ban banning things. Sorted.

    The way it's going they'll ban adverts for eggs soon ;-) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6220684.stm