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User: speardane

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  1. we'll probably need to develop a better sense of empathy and learn how to live and take both the planet (environment) and other peoples' needs into account.

    I imagine the same would be true of any other advanced technology. Those that can't get beyond the Caveman "Ugh... want... take... " would seem most probable to destroy themselves and their planet.

    Is it unreasonable that if you take that view that you would also have learnt what happens to relatively technically backward civilisations when contacted by more advanced? The record seems to be 100% destruction here.

    If a civilisation had developed like that wouldn't they hold of letting us know about them, until we were mature enough to cope?

  2. It's cheaper to insist the tech companies do something, than reinstating all the police jobs, the conservatives have destroyed.

    Even the Daily Telegraph (one of the most right wing papers in the UK) are reporting on the drop and the security risks. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/new...

  3. have installed some temporary LED bulbs and have just been researching the alternative remote control systems.

    It won't be Phillips then!

  4. "Limited" data and adverts on No Such Thing As 'Unlimited' Data (wired.com) · · Score: 1

    In many cases the adverts take more bandwidth than the content! If I'm paying for bandwidth consumed - you can bet I'm going to control who gets to use it

  5. 2 software engineers walked into the CEOs office.. on Volkswagen Boss Blames Software Engineers For Scandal (bbc.co.uk) · · Score: 1

    and forced him to lie when he "found out" what was going on... yeah right

  6. Re:Clearly on Sony Thinks You'll Pay $1200 For a Digital Walkman · · Score: 1
    The Astell & Kern (upmarket iRiver brand) has almost identical functionality, and are established and committed players in this marketplace - the sound from my AK100 is remarkably good when paired with good headphones and Hi Res music. (The price of the DACs in that or the Sony would be prohibitive for a phone).

    .

    My problem with this selling is Sony and their attitude to security & privacy. I'm inclined to believe they are only sorry they got caught hacking people's PCs (rootkit) and they don't seem to feel any responsibility for their disastrously lax security.

    Personally I neither believe stealing, nor cracking is acceptable - I just wouldn't forget to fit locks on my doors and rely on ranting and war-mongering to put off potential hackers (whether criminal / corporate or governmental variety)

  7. Choice between security and privacy? on To Fight $5.2B In Identity Theft, IRS May Need To Change the Way You File Taxes · · Score: 1

    by prioritising political / state security over information security - the costs of fraud and fraud prevention will continue to escalate

  8. looks similar in the UK - unfortunately it's only with an O2 contract

  9. Re:Anthropometrics on 3 Recent Flights Make Unscheduled Landings, After Disputes Over Knee Room · · Score: 1
    so it would be reasonable to charge people with longer legs more, but unreasonable to charge those that are very wide or heavy?

    I think it is same fares for all or you permit discrimination on a range of size criteria...

  10. Re:I think I speak for us all... on Irish Politician Calls For Crackdown On Open Source Internet Browsers · · Score: 1

    hmm Browsers and proxies permit anonymity, anonymity permits drugs and pornography - these must be stopped at all costs - so anonymous browsers should be stopped. Politicians start wars, wars cause death - politicians must be stopped at all costs. So no politicians should be permitted I could go with both proposals - they're equally logical...

  11. Re:Unlike Boston on Terrorist Murder In London Could Revive Snooper's Charter · · Score: 1

    Unlike Boston, instead of rushing to help, people just took out their phones and recorded the act

    perhaps you didn't see the video of the lady scout leader who walked upto one of the terrorists and asked him to handover his weapons, whilst others tried to help?

    Show some respect!

  12. Cynical reaction to an atrocity on Terrorist Murder In London Could Revive Snooper's Charter · · Score: 1
    Such appalling cynicism! http://bbc.in/16XHjlO

    So the UK intelligence services knew about both of those filmed in Woolwich - but they were not regarded as priorities

    i.e. the intelligence people didn't have enough resources! So if they can't identify the dangerous "needle in a haystack" making the haystack several thousandfold bigger will help?

    Clearly the politicians feel no more responsibility for the inadequate resourcing than the poor tax laws!

    A good sound-bite is so much better than thinking a problem through and finding an apt solution.

  13. any techies here? on US Air Force Scraps ERP Project After $1 Billion Spent · · Score: 1
    Project cost benefit fails, project gets canned, instead of carrying regardless, just for ego reasons...

    progress at last...

    One day, we might even stop initiating unrealistic projects

  14. Apple and their lawyers were lucky on UK Court Sanctions Apple For Non-Compliance · · Score: 5, Insightful

    not too be in more serious trouble for contempt of court

  15. Re:switch distributors on Raspberry Pi Gets 512MB Filling · · Score: 1

    pity - I received my model B from RS - Yesterday...

  16. Re:Oh dear ? on UK Man Arrested For Offensive Joke Posted On Facebook · · Score: 1
    the BBC report also says he was taken into custody for his own protection, after about 50 people reported him.

    That might just be a realistic claim. In the case of the two victims, people are sufficiently shocked and upset, I suspect getting strong sentence might well have saved Woods a lynching

  17. brilliant product - shame on the Government on 60 Years of Business Computing Started With Tea Shops · · Score: 1

    and people got trained that computing was a tool to solve business problems. not - the more familiar now - here's a bit of kit who can we talk into buying it... yet another great product mismanaged. there again the British government got it all wrong - just like the Enigma machine & Alan Turing - better to hound him to death (as a gay security risk); hand the technology to the USA and block any use of any UK based experience for 30 years...

  18. Re:Civil war? on British Computer Society Is Officially At Civil War · · Score: 1
    well I'm a member - so far

    whatever it is about:

    neither party appears to be telling the truth about each other

    neither party can explain it's point of view succinctly - and I am used to reading poor specs....

    neither seems to be genuinely focussed on professionalising IT.

    I recently joined PMI - if I could work out how to translate my experience and qualifications into a recognisable level - I think I'd drop BCS as well

  19. Re:A Few More and Some Musings on Hollywood's Growing Obsession With Philip K. Dick · · Score: 1

    Presumably "Man in a high Castle" is a little too close to the reality of where the media cartels (**AA + ACTA) are taking us?

  20. The Best Democracy News international can buy... on BBC To Make Deep Cuts In Internet Services · · Score: 1
    Absolutely there is no business case for the cuts

    As a BBC licence payer - £140 pa is remarkable value - between 1/2 and a 1/3 of the annual cost of a daily news paper!

    News International wants to charge for it's News on the internet

    Why would anyone pay for News international - when a superior product - the BBC is free? So - as above News International wants cuts

    The Sun which prides itself in swinging UK Marginal votes "It's the Sun wot did it!" has just moved to support the Conservatives

    The BBC is responding to pressure from the Conservatives

    Both the Tory leader David Cameron and their Finance minister George Osborne have met and holidayed with Murdoch

    The proposed shut of 6 Music is a sleight of hand - the real question - is why non-UK-national gets so much influence over our culture and media?

  21. Re:Unrealistic? on Virgin Promises 100Mbps Connections To UK Homes · · Score: 1
    upgraded to Virgin's 20Mb service - the advertising was accurate - I never exceeded 20Mb...

    I often got 200kb and rarely exceeded 1Mb. Their support did nothing to help - but plenty of stupid... (eg test your connection using a windows macine with the AV removed).

    I left...

  22. MS Leaks Disambiguation on When Software Leaks (and What Really Goes Down) · · Score: 2, Interesting
    I misunderstood....

    I thought you were talking about "leaks" in products like Word (and other non-MS products) and XP "going down" - I find even with Word 2003 it was still safer to reboot every other weekend. Has this been fixed yet?

    for the me the rest is all variations in marketing technique...

  23. iGo on What To Do With All of My Gadget Chargers? · · Score: 1

    investigate the iGo system. 1 charger - multiple tips - certainly much more convenient when travelling

  24. Music Piracy on Yahoo! Music Going Dark, Taking Keys With It · · Score: 1

    This is just as much an act of Piracy, as illegal downloading unpaid for Albums. Yahoo (in conjunction with the Music labels which encouraged it to use DRM) should be prosecuted with the same vigour the RIAA uses.

  25. Re:Mod parent up on DRM-Free Music Spells Trouble? · · Score: 3, Interesting
    the editor got one thing right

    Growing up, I bought countless books, a bunch of music, and a fair number of videotapes. No one really thought about content ownership
    and then someone came along and told me I couldn't treat CDs like books etc; insisted in stealing my time being insulted about theft; and wanting more money each time they manipulated formats to get what I had paid for again.

    I still buy countless books & music - but I cheer everytime these insulting abusive ...people... gets their comeuppance

    I believe over time we will find the direct to market model will put as much money into the hands of the whole genuine creative chain, as the current copyright profit skimming cartels do at present