Posts by Robert Carnegie

In Windows you probably can hold down Alt and type 62 on the number pad - the "ANSI" (code page 1252?) code of symbol >. Or, get a new keyboard. Or maybe pull out a key that you don't use - I'm beginning to doubt the story is strictly true.

The legislation, if not now then soon, may require that only devices which restrict the choice of operating system to manufacturer-approved software, can be made and sold. So you could download Linux but you couldn't install it. Now, a virtual machine is a thing, but probably legislation can be applied to those as well. So Windows wouldn't host a Linux that didn't have government approval, too.

Re: Perspective from America ...

For translations, it's reasonable to consider whether the translator is competent, intends to reproduce the original work faithfully, and in some cases, whether they have any relation to the claimed original title at all. And this isn't only for "political" books. I think I heard that there are some strange "translations" and bootlegs of "Dracula" and "The War of the Worlds", such as transferring the action to the U.S.

Re: Novice

The title refers to "strange places" (on one's body, implied) to receive and wear a tattoo, but it could be something about the design instead. Or, both - what and where.

Groucho Marx sang about "Lydia the Tattooed Lady". I suspect that the lyric varied depending on the audience.

The Two Ronnies described a tattooed man who also went for art reproductions, "with a Constable under each arm... and the inscrutable smile of the Mona Lisa becomes a broad grin whenever he sits down."

Re: Not seeing the problem

(Mainly by killing them in horrible ways, IIRC)

Re: Hazing = abuse

I thought you might have been given a garbled report of an incident that happened in another hemisphere (and fatally), but from trying to track "it" down in Google, this is happening a lot, still.

I assume that pointing this apparatus -at- somebody can be almost as dangerous as putting it -into- someone.

Don't do it.

Re: More a commuter story than at-the-office but ...

I don't understand U.S. scale, but is that the University of Chicago located south of 55th Street? Does that count as long distance by telephone? Thank you.

Re: Wiggle the mouse

Depending on the OS and on whether you auto-run a lot of software. But yes... but specifically, when the Windows - what version is it now - Windows 11 login prompt appears, there are background services still spinning up. So I haven't timed it but - I propose that the time from an immediate login to seeing the desktop, is longer than if you give it a minute and then log in. Of course, though, I'm not counting that minute.

Re: Astrology Domine

You'd have a fair chance of identity theft by collecting personal information. ...Happy birthday, by the way. :-)

Re: Placebo

It's a good brand name. ;-)

Though I wonder if "nocebo" perhaps is equally good?

To be clear, that's not "no placebo", it is the opposite of placebo.

Re: Quite a rare sight

Interesting. Later "received wisdom" is that it's keyboard use that tortures your wrists - to this day and second, I'm working with a touchscreen and the "FITALY" efficient screen keyboard software since my wrists blew up. Bicycling may have contributed in my case - I've since used various cycling arrangements and eventually an "Electra" non-electric but sitting-back and "cruiser" cycle, so I don't put any weight on my arms any more.

There was that Stargate episode where they accidentally connected to a black hole so everything was pulled towards the Stargate, also time slowed down... I think something heavy did get "dropped" in the scene while they were trying to end the episode but I don't remember if it was a monitor.

Ah, the agony and the ecstasy. ;-)

Re: re: multitasking

However, the stand on one leg thing, with your eyes closed even, is said to - well, the sadly late Michael Mosley recently made one of a series of short BBC radio programmes that declared "Stand on one leg for a longer life".

This series of "Just One Thing" to do for your health actually appears to run to more than 100 Things, but I think that's roping in some other productions. Your tooth-brushing time evidently is an opportunity to remember to do this, and to try not to wonder why it didn't save Michael Mosley, and I expect you get the hang of it quite quickly.

Read more at:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/35QytBYmkXJ4JnDYl9zYngb/why-you-should-stand-on-one-leg

The thing about dropping balls or some other object onto a noisy surface as you fall asleep is also told about Salvador Dali.

That sort of story may be not true of Dali or of Edison or others, or may have been made up by either or both of them to deceive their critics into trying it and suffering thereby.

However, I think it was credited to Dali and then tried for a recent BBC World Service radio and podcast by contributor Anand Jagatia, or someone else in the show, which considered planning your dreams, and which may have been mentioned already further down the comments.

The use in this case is that usually you forget your dreams before you wake up, or soon after (and usually just as well), and this trick has a good chance to wake you up during a dream, so that you can write it down, etc.

I don't remember mention of pop musicians or other composers using it, or of comparison of the sound of clattering cutlery or ball-bearings to the more adventurous compositions thus produced. Or whether they sound like that anyway on a peaceful uninterrupted eight hours.

Anyway, "The Documentary: The dream makers: The experimental new field of dream engineering", running at 50 minutes, apparently can be played or downloaded "for over a year" minus the week or two since it was on, at:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct8ywm

However, some BBC audio things are now available in UK only - please report. This one is "World Service", though.

Re: Users and printing devices...

"two [2]" is intended, I think.

Re: Users and printing devices...

Well, Charles Babbage did when he was at school? :-)

Re: The Key to Everything

A long, stiff wire through the letterbox - or in 2026, probably a small drone - could have your keys out of your house.

High-quality photography is another gotcha - going by comments here.

Re: The Key to Everything

Maybe you shouldn't be telling this to the world? Likewise everyone else here doing so.

Re: Fired

Since the topic was leaving the workplace while still having the keys that you shouldn't take home, or take to the next work site - I take it as doing that. Keys.

Re: Good lord

Well, they often claim that something as complex as life on Earth could only be made by God. Or by aliens. Then you have to explain the aliens, though.

Earth's collection of living things is complicated, but I'm prepared to say that it just grew that way.

If the emergence of humanity is a million to one chance, then why are we here? Well - if there are a billion eligible planets in the universe for the million to one chance - not real numbers - then it will happen on one thousand planets. What's the chance that the planet we are on is one of those, out of the billion? It's one, certainty, because on the other 999 million planets, there's no one there to have that discussion.

Why is the Moon the same size as the Sun, so that there are eclipses? I think there isn't a reason but also it isn't something that God claimed to have done for a religious purpose. But in a future religion, it will be included, or perhaps it already is included in some cult or secondary revelation.

Things like that.

Re: What I really wanted .....

You could tell them that the telephone pole outside has fallen over? Although it hasn't. "Oh yes, I put it up again, it didn't help though."

Re: rddb

"Fire, I'll take you to burn

Fire, I'll take you to learn

I'll see you burn"

(weirdo)

Re: DIY

Recently I looked up the actress in Star Trek who played "Elaan of Troyius" - apparently in 2026 there's a sudden fuss about "Helen of Troy" being played by a Black actress, and I wondered. Of course "Elaan" isn't exactly Helen of Troy. Possibly closer to Achilles. She actually was from planet Elas and was going to Troyius for a political marriage. I think the audience are expected to notice all this. Of course Captain Kirk got involved, that is, "involved". I'm not sure what that makes him. Very tired, I expect.

Anyway, Wikipedia says that "France Nuyen" is a French-American actress, model, and psychological counselor. She's the daughter of a Romani French mother and a father from French Indochina. Her father is widely reported to be Viet; however, Nuyen identifies him and herself as Chinese or Hoa. He didn't stay around. The Hoa people are an ethnic minority in Vietnam composed of citizens and nationals of full or partial Han Chinese ancestry.

I'm unsure of the pronunciation, but I expect that she says it very carefully.

Her notable film roles appear to include "anything vaguely Asian", which I don't blame her for. While the character of Elaan was difficult to like, unless she released her secretion, then it was impossible not to.

Re: Foam instead

As a cyclist, I'm not sure I like this. I've been knocked down, at traffic lights facing the sun when a car driver behind me lost sight, assumed I wasn't there any more, and hit me hard enough to make me lose my balance rather hard - rear travelling faster than the front. I think I made it to work but bleeding. I've also come off sometimes by my own doing - do not ever hang a shopping bag on the handlebars, was one time. I've also been nudged at a might turn by a driver who just wanted me to hurry up.

Re: "Have you used tech to prank colleagues, and gotten away with it?"

I remember the cartoon when Dilbert's stress ball burst and showered sand all over his desk and he had to request a nw kybard. Vry strssd.

Re: Clearly I don't have the correct mindset

I wonder if certain revenue authorities read The Register comments and have a long memory.... I expect you would know by the time I'm writing this, one way or another. If I've given it away, then, whoops.

How healthy for electronics is the 12V DC supply in a car? Isn't it "noisy"? Obviously these days the car IS full of electronics, so it can be done...

Re: Y2K - Learning to be Paranoid

I think I found Forbase+ on SCO UNIX was Y2K patched but didn't know that 2000 is a leap year. Fortunately it wasn't quite a critical tool for us at the time.

It's an odd mistake, since if you just take every fourth year as a leap year, then you're OK from 1980 to 2099. Maybe it had some kind of lookup table of leap years and it stopped at 1999 because "in 2000 we're ####ed anyway". In which case it wasn't actually Y2K patched. But this is me guessing shortly before 29/02/2026. :-)

Re: Major Minor

"Confident" isn't 100.0% certain. Certainty would mean not "supervising" systems on 01/01/2000 at all. Even when paid to do it. "Confident" doesn't mean not being careful.