WinFS – I reckon it’ll kill ’em or it will never get rolled out in corporates.
Microsoft will have imploded before it’s successfully rolled out in corporates or quietly abandoned.
Author Archive: m1bxd
The Hacker Crackdown
by Bruce Sterling I bought this book years ago, but for some reason decided to reread it before checking it out.
What a mistake that would have been, after reading Freakonomics which gives you a different way of looking at facts I learnt more about the effects of perceived computer intrusion than at first glance.
Little snippets:
The US Secret Service was set up to counter conterfeit currency, protecting the President was a duty tacked on. Thus in the early ’90s these guys had to into wirefraud in big way.
The amount of money lost to phone freaking paled into significance the volume of money extracted out of people on the back of charity raising scams.
Hacks “used” to use war dialers to derive 800 pre-paid telephone cards, scammers would set up shell company 10 deep, hack US phone exchanges to forward calls via an anonymous warehouses and call up little old grannies who regularly gave money to charity. They got the credit users details from hackers as well. Setup up a credit card account. Next, “Hello I’m calling from Lightbulbs for the Blind…”. Bank the money for a month and wind up the shell companies and start all over again!
It left me thinking – what the hell are the dark sided phone freaks up to now!
Green Christmas
According to the Big Issue South West Dec 5-11th 2005:
“This year around 200,000 trees will be used to produce 1.7 billlion Christmas cards the nation sends. Sadly just 10 per cent o f these will be recycled, leaving the rest to fill up swelling landfill sites.”
The Da Vinci Code: Special Illustrated Edition
Great story, just zero descriptive narrative. Bought as a present, out of choice – I wouldn’t have read as I had seen a good documentary on it by Tony Robinson.
It is quite cool in that the secret societies all exist.
ID cards : I like this post
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/4625971.stm
Anyone want to bet on how long it will take between the first ID card being issued and a reporter from The Sun managing to get a low paid data entry clerk to assist them in producing a fake?
Paul, Loughborough
Akamai v Google
Cringley’s POV and the Web v2.0
The Long Emergency
by James Howard Kunstler
Mine was a nice US hardback edition that I bought on hols.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/
Great read, at lot consider him to be too much, I can’t see that he has got much wrong!
Vista Hardware requirements
After a discussion in the office at lunchtime, my hypothesis is that Vista will require 512Mb memory and SATA-2 to function sensibly.
I also think that by the time it makes it out of the door virtualisation chips from both Intel and AMD will be shipping for the desktop and platform independant drivers will becoming up fast on the landscape.
Windows plan underscores Microsoft struggle
By Ina Fried
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
Published: February 2, 2004, 4:00 AM PST
While many customers applauded the move, some analysts said that the decision may be more than an act of goodwill. According to recent surveys, about one-quarter of all PCs run Windows 98 or older versions of Windows. “Better to have people stay on Windows 98 than to start investigating things like Linux,” said Michael Gartenberg, an analyst at Jupiter Research.
Update March 19th 2006
Will 512 mb be enough memory? Some think not:
http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=1158
Come on Mr AB from Torquay, so just how many people will be able to upgrade to Vista without buying a whole new PC?
May 20th “The Times”
THE much-hyped next-generation of Microsoft software, Windows Vista, ran into controversy yesterday after analysts said that the system’s full range of tools would be available to less than 5 per cent of Britain’s PC market…
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,9070-2188681,00.htmlÂ
Microsoft anounces new virtualization friendly licensing
New virtualization use rights for Windows Server™ 2003 R2 Enterprise Edition and Windows Server “Longhorn†Datacenter Edition enable cost-effective consolidation. Licenses for the upcoming Windows Server 2003 R2 Enterprise Edition will allow customers to run up to four virtual instances on one physical server at no additional cost. Licenses for the Datacenter Edition of the version of Windows Server, code-named “Longhorn,†will give customers the right to run an unlimited number of virtual instances on one physical server.
Licensing by running instance improves the value and flexibility of Windows Server System products. Customers will no longer license every inactive or stored instance of a Windows Server System product. Customers can now create and store unlimited numbers of instances, including those for backup and recovery, and pay only for the maximum number of running instances at any given time.
Portable licensing for the dynamic enterprise allows customers to easily deploy and run Windows Server System products on any physical server licensed for the software. Customers can move active instances from one licensed server box to another without limitation, as long as the physical server is licensed for the Windows Server System product.
Per-processor licensing better aligns with resources used. With Windows Server System products that are licensed per processor, such as Microsoft SQL Server™, BizTalk® Server, and Internet Security & Acceleration Server, customers will have greater flexibility to stack multiple instances on a machine by licensing for the number of virtual processors being used.
For more details checkout:
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2005/oct05/10-10virtualizationlicensing.mspx
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2005/oct05/10-10VirtualizationStrategyPR.mspx
You should note that these changes only apply to our server software. Licensing for desktop software remains unchanged at the moment.
from Ben’s blog
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Location: Paignton Apollo
Report: Not bad
imdb entry
Who runs the UK?
The US appears to be run by corporations, who provide funds for political parties in elections.
The US TV networks do not carry International news, why not?
Hypothesis:
The population would switch their TV off and not watch the ads.
Discussion:
The UK carries International news, but this does not mean the UK population switches the TV – therefore advertisers are happy to have ads inbetween the sought after evening news slots.
Question:
Does this tells us about the dummying down of the US population v the UK – just still bright enough to follow the news?
So if the corporations run the US, who is running the UK?
The IPCRESS File
There’s “not a lot” you can say about this one.
Classic film – even better book!
Completed on the way back from Boston.
The New Jerusalem
Stunning history book by Adrian Gilbert, available cheaply on amzon in the second hardback edition. HERE.
What’s it about?
The rebuilding of London after the fire of London in 1666 and an awful lot of history your probably never got taught at school.
Brief summary for me
British involvement in the 30 year war. John Wycliffe influenced Jan Huss. The Wikipedia author also states – “He initiated a religious movement based on the ideas of John Wycliffe”.
All the European intellectuals buggered off to Britain where the “flat earth” debate – was actually up for discussion.
Thus this may have precipitated the birth of the industrial revolution for 200 years.
Last breakfast with Maria
Well it all went by very quickly.
John (LX’s dad) has given me a Canon Rebel. I haven’t even yet openned!
Duty free bagged two large bottles of Pimms and two Moet et Chandon. $33 + $55 respectively!
Wednesday 21st
Plane got a good tail wind. The tired made it back to Totnes. I didn’t sleep on the plane, but was pretty solid on the train after Reading.
Biggles in good form. Thanks Rachel.
Dale & Judy
Great hospitality from Dale & Judy, (Milbourne Lodge 127)
Present were:
Dale
Judy
Heather (daughter)
Judy’s mother
Hoola (Briefly)
John
Daria
MX
LX
What did we do wrong?
Church again – but we were nice and late. But only shaving off a quarter of an hour.
Again, singing a real bind – but sermon again, not too bad.
Liz came over with my early birthday cake!
Greg & Julie
This was quite a meet:
Greg & Julie
Uncle Roman
Aunt Ksenia (John’s Mother’s sister – Julie’s Mother)
Nick & Jean’s
Long time friends of John’s, lovely place in 5 acres.
Hootch production on the garden patio. MX reckons the second distilation could pop into a Honda VTEC engine 🙂
Sushi II – Siobahn and Rick
Sanity returns in a strange location:
Belmont Starbucks
General shopping at Chicago’s Alley occurs and a trip to a great Shushi Shiroi Hana Restaurant, those present:
MX
LX
Siobahn
Ric
Comment: Excellent
Dropped of clothes at Siobahn’s parents, then we visited Kopi’s. Which we were pleasently ejected from at approximately 00:30.
Oh the driving is fun
Did a bit of straight driving for the second time. (Got the old Internation Driving License just incase.) But only at night, because those intersections look a bit tricky of Mr Lefty…
Arrived back 07:15
This is Information Retrieval. If we’re going to have an ID card, let’s have a 21st century ID card
Page 1 of 9, Reprint (13/9/05). This is This is information retrieval. If we’re going to have an ID card, let’s have a 21st century ID card. David G.W. Birch. Director …
And in case it disappears from the ether, you can find it
This is information retrieval – by David Birch 2005-09-13 05idreprint
13th / 14th
Grim, started back to find nobody had been visiting the Shrine of complete Dog’s Bollocks.
Dinner at Denny’s at 22:00 14th September – what a gloriously shit evening.
The Chinese Revolution?
Will the Chinese actually have their revolution?
(To be continued and explaned – here for noting purposes only)
Just a day in Boston :-(
Get rid of car, walk round
2pm – trip around United Grand Lodge of Massachusetts very kindly conducted by R Carlton Hill.
We learnt stacks!
Great lunch at a noodle house in Chinatown.
It’s was a wrench not to see more of Boston – great city. Loads of history.
Boston – we is here
Now after all this travelling – was it worth it!
Certainly was, met up with LX’s net friend of 5 years – Heather and hubby Sean.
Great Thai meal
Follow by a trip to JP Licks – YUMMY icecream.
Those present:
MX
LX
John – LX’s dad
Heather
Sean
Sept 4th to 10th
Accelerating on v quickly, as it’s actually 22:28 on Sunday 25th and it’s work tommorrow.
4th Calvary Community Church with Maria.
Too much singing, bit of hand waving. Rev Scott Eaton, sermon’s 8 outta 10.
5th Shopping with Maria – various.
6th Downtown with Liz – good fun.
7th Millenium Park and the Bean (of official the Cloud Gate)
8th Arrived at Father-in-law: John & Daria
9th Leave for the big trip 10:30 (remember the missing petrol cap John…)
Indiana-Ohio-Pensylvania
10th Arrive at Maria and Walter’s 08:00! (Maria is Daria’s niece)