Can You Trust the Companies you deal with?

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Message 1389798 - Posted: 11 Jul 2013, 15:53:57 UTC

What company or organization can you trust?


Not just telcos, THOUSANDS of companies share data with US spies

... all perfectly legal, trust us...


IT is what we make it...
Martin


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Message 1390742 - Posted: 14 Jul 2013, 22:55:41 UTC
Last modified: 14 Jul 2013, 22:55:51 UTC

Is Intel back to it's old naughty ways of dirty tricks again?


Analyst: Tests showing Intel smartphones beating ARM were rigged

... Working with AnTuTu and technology consulting firm BDTI, McGregor determined that the version of the benchmark built with ICC was allowing Intel processors to skip some of the instructions that make up the RAM performance test, leading to artificially inflated results.

AnTuTu released version 3.3.2 of the benchmark on Wednesday to address the problem, and according to McGregor, it negates Intel's artificial advantage. Intel's CPU and Overall scores are now about 20 per cent lower than they were with the previous build, and the RAM score is around 50 per cent lower. ...



This is all not that long after:

Intel's compiler: is crippling the competition acceptable?

... We've seen bugs with the Intel compilers before (and with other compilers too, I might add) where the optimiser caused problems. Sure enough, compiling with all of the optimisation flags turned off produced executables that ran perfectly fine across our collection of machines, albeit rather slowly. Reinstating the optimisation flags one-at-a-time revealed that the -xK flag was the culprit: if that was specified, the executables segfaulted on the compute farm...

... instructions later then check that these values were 'Genu','ineI','ntel' (i.e. 'GeniuneIntel'). If not, then we jump off to a bit of code that doesn't even pretend to check for the CPU capabilities...

... Think about what this means. The code produced by the Intel compiler checks to see if it's running on an Intel chip. If not, it deliberately won't run SSE or SSE2 code, even if the chip capability flags (available through the 'cpuid' instruction) say that it can. In other words, the code has been nobbled to run slower on non-Intel chips. ...



Message 1022676: Naughty Intel to now behave?

... 'Disturbing behavior' curbed...

... As part of the consent decree, Intel cannot pay PC and server makers to not take chips from AMD, VIA, or anyone else...




IT is what we make it...
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Message 1390766 - Posted: 15 Jul 2013, 1:44:38 UTC - in response to Message 1390742.  
Last modified: 15 Jul 2013, 1:45:09 UTC

This is all not that long after:

Intel's compiler: is crippling the competition acceptable?

This page copyright (C) Mark Mackey 2005.

Always check the dates ...
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Message 1393606 - Posted: 22 Jul 2013, 15:53:43 UTC - in response to Message 1390766.  

This is all not that long after:

Intel's compiler: is crippling the competition acceptable?

This page copyright (C) Mark Mackey 2005.

Always check the dates ...

Still applicable and still there for people/companies still using that code and the applications still in use produced using that code...


IT is what we make it...
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Message 1393612 - Posted: 22 Jul 2013, 15:59:51 UTC
Last modified: 22 Jul 2013, 16:00:25 UTC

A little short cutting can go an unexpectedly long way:


SIM crypto CRACKED by a SINGLE text, mobes stuffed with spyware

A quarter of mobiles phones using DES encryption rather than the newer triple-DES for their SIM cards are vulnerable to an attack via SMS that results in a complete takeover of the phone. ...

... developed a technique that allows him to obtain the 56-bit DES encryption key of a SIM by sending a text message that spoofs the phone's operator. With the key in hand, a second text message will install software on the target device that takes over the phone completely – including eavesdropping and impersonation attacks.

“We can spy on you. We know your encryption keys for calls. We can read your SMSs. More than just spying, we can steal data from the SIM card, your mobile identity, and charge to your account”...

... Of the six billion mobiles currently in service, about half still use DES encryption. In a sample of 1,000 SIMs tested over two years, Nohl said one-quarter were vulnerable...




All vulnerable to the cost-cutting from those still supplying old previous generation single-DES sims with an added software/operation vulnerability...

(Geee... Would the Americans now lock that researcher up for a century rather than fix the real problem?... DCMA and all the rest as an excuse for book slinging?? :-( Where does it stop? :-( )


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Message 1394272 - Posted: 24 Jul 2013, 16:57:12 UTC
Last modified: 24 Jul 2013, 16:58:30 UTC

Here's a little something that could get legally eye-watering and onerous for all DRM victims:


Lost in Translation - Why a supposed German breakthrough in e-book DRM is just as dumb as the old e-book DRM

... The idea that copyright owners might convince a judge, or, worse, a jury that because they found a copy of an e-book on the Pirate Bay originally sold to me they can then hold me responsible or civilly liable is almost certainly wrong, as a matter of law. At the very least, it’s a long shot and a stupid legal bet. After all, it’s not illegal to lose your computer. It’s not illegal to have it stolen or hacked. It’s not illegal to throw away your computer or your hard drive. In many places, it’s not illegal to give away your e-books, or to loan them. In some places, it’s not illegal to sell your e-books.

— Cory Doctorow on yet another e-book DRM scheme ...



DRM - defective by design

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Message 1394291 - Posted: 24 Jul 2013, 17:24:09 UTC - in response to Message 1394272.  

Here's a little something that could get legally eye-watering and onerous for all DRM victims:


Lost in Translation - Why a supposed German breakthrough in e-book DRM is just as dumb as the old e-book DRM

... The idea that copyright owners might convince a judge, or, worse, a jury that because they found a copy of an e-book on the Pirate Bay originally sold to me they can then hold me responsible or civilly liable is almost certainly wrong, as a matter of law. At the very least, it’s a long shot and a stupid legal bet. After all, it’s not illegal to lose your computer. It’s not illegal to have it stolen or hacked. It’s not illegal to throw away your computer or your hard drive. In many places, it’s not illegal to give away your e-books, or to loan them. In some places, it’s not illegal to sell your e-books.

— Cory Doctorow on yet another e-book DRM scheme ...



DRM - defective by design

IT is what we allow it to become...
Martin

Thats why im not sold on this e-book thing yet. When I buy a hard cover. The publisher gets paid and is happy. The book is mine to read , rip up or throw in the garbage. I can pass it on to some one else or sell it to a second hand book store so he can then sell it to a new buyer. After my intial purchase the publisher makes no money on how many times a book can be sold. I dont see any big stink on hard copies. Yes e-books are a lot easier to pirate then setting up your own press for hard copies but where do they draw the line.
[/quote]

Old James
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Message 1394908 - Posted: 25 Jul 2013, 21:32:45 UTC

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-23448639
US prosecutors launch largest ever hacking fraud case
US prosecutors have launched what they say is the country's largest ever hacking fraud case.

Five men in Russia and Ukraine have been charged with running a hacking operation that allegedly stole more than 160 million credit and debit card numbers from a number of major US companies over a period of seven years.

Losses from the thefts amounted to hundreds of millions of dollars.

Corporate victims included Nasdaq, Visa, Dow Jones and JC Penney.
...
The attacks often involved identifying weaknesses in Structure Query Language (SQL) databases and uploading malware that gave them access to corporate networks.


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Message 1396312 - Posted: 29 Jul 2013, 19:31:07 UTC

Nope, you definitely can't trust companies......

NHS Direct wants to withdraw from contracts

"And earlier this month, it warned that the volume of calls at two of its larger contracts, North West and West Midlands, were 30-40% lower than contracted leading to lower income and leaving its whole 111 service "financially unsustainable".

NHS Direct used to be paid more than £20 per call when it ran the old 0845 number. The payment is between £7 and £9 per call for the new 111 service."

Greedy ******d's!
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Message 1396391 - Posted: 29 Jul 2013, 23:46:39 UTC

Intel back to the non-competitive bad old ways?...


Intel Responds to Overclocking on Non-Z Series Motherboards

... Intel officially sanctions overclocking on the more expensive Z87 chipset motherboards, and that “Non-Z OC” functionality could potentially threaten the company’s revenue, ... they are currently “placing the final touches” to a CPU microcode update that aims to remove this capability from non-Z87 motherboards...

... Intel can be expected to either push the “fix” ['downgrade'] to relevant motherboard vendors with instructions to release it as a BIOS update, or release it through a Windows Update under the tried and tested guise of a “stability update.”



So... What happened to their only head-to-head competitor AMD?...

IT is what we allow it to be...
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Message 1397319 - Posted: 1 Aug 2013, 0:24:49 UTC

One must-see?


Terms and Conditions: A movie about privacy policies you’ll actually want to watch

TACMA ... The documentary, released last week, will particularly interest your smart (but less tech-savvy) friends who shrug at things like the most recent NSA metadata surveillance scandal. American technology law and policy can often feel too niche, despite the fact that the issues in question apply in some way to nearly everyone on the Internet, as American companies are so dominant online. But this film might just be the most fun and accessible way to learn about what’s been happening to all of us, online, over the last 15 years...



So why does it take multiple pages of incomprehensible legalese merely to surf the internet?!

IT is what we allow it to be...
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Message 1402769 - Posted: 13 Aug 2013, 21:27:34 UTC

Is this another must-see?...


Xbox 180: Microsoft scraps mandatory Kinect policy

All-seeing, all-hearing Redmond stooge no longer on ALL the time

In the wake of the NSA spying revelations, Microsoft has said gamers will no longer need to have an all-seeing, always-online eye and ear attached to their Xbox. ...

... Given the ... NSA ... PRISM data-slurping ... people had been worried about sticking an always-on informer into their living room. ...



IT is what we allow it to be...
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Message 1403423 - Posted: 15 Aug 2013, 12:44:54 UTC

Nope definitely can't trust companies! Received e-mail yesterday from supplier, all components for 4 systems will be delivered today. Nice, until now. Delivery arrived. All components here except 4 crucial items - no computer cases!

Rang them up & got told all items were despatched. They'll look into it.......

....in the meantime I've got 4 customers on my back asking when can they pick up their systems.
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Message 1403468 - Posted: 15 Aug 2013, 15:30:38 UTC - in response to Message 1403423.  

Nope definitely can't trust companies! Received e-mail yesterday from supplier, all components for 4 systems will be delivered today. Nice, until now. Delivery arrived. All components here except 4 crucial items - no computer cases!

Rang them up & got told all items were despatched. They'll look into it.......

....in the meantime I've got 4 customers on my back asking when can they pick up their systems.

Can't trust databases. The "computer" says it is in stock. The order picker can't find them. Oh, I guess they are on backorder, but the system won't order them because they are in stock .... and the order picker doesn't have a way to override and enter a physical inventory count .... the stupidvisor is off on another 4 hour 6 martini lunch ....

Ah, the joys of Dilbert ....



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Message 1403515 - Posted: 15 Aug 2013, 17:22:04 UTC - in response to Message 1403468.  
Last modified: 15 Aug 2013, 17:23:21 UTC

Nope definitely can't trust companies! Received e-mail yesterday from supplier, all components for 4 systems will be delivered today. Nice, until now. Delivery arrived. All components here except 4 crucial items - no computer cases!

Rang them up & got told all items were despatched. They'll look into it.......

....in the meantime I've got 4 customers on my back asking when can they pick up their systems.

Can't trust databases. The "computer" says it is in stock. The order picker can't find them. Oh, I guess they are on backorder, but the system won't order them because they are in stock .... and the order picker doesn't have a way to override and enter a physical inventory count .... the stupidvisor is off on another 4 hour 6 martini lunch ....

Ah, the joys of Dilbert ....



I've experienced this with picking out an office chair for my home computer desk. I went through 3 different vendors for the same chair each completed the order then told me I would have the chair in 30 days because it was back ordered. Screw that give me my money back and keep your backordered chair. Is it so difficult to just tag an item on their site as out of stock with an expected date the'y have the shipment. After seeral rounds of this I am so disgusted with the whole buy a chair online idea.

The best or worst part is these companies advertise free shipping to get your business. How about having a product on hand so you can actually ship something


In a rich man's house there is no place to spit but his face.
Diogenes Of Sinope
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Message 1403548 - Posted: 15 Aug 2013, 18:03:22 UTC

Its not only confined to chair suppliers...
I've just got a couple of new graphic cards following a "domestic inundation" which lead to two dead GTX690s. Chase around, see a company advertising a decent price, allegedly having stock, so I place an order, and just as I go to pay I see that they are on back order, expected in one to three months, so I don't place the order. Not once, but three vendors...

So I "down-scaled" to a pair of GTX780s, vendor claimed to have "10+" in stock, so I order two, only one in stock, and more expected in a week, so I take the one and carry on looking for the second. New stock arrives in three days, but thirty quid more.... (still cheaper than the next cheapest when I take delivery into account, walking distance beats courier any day)


Now processing the insurance claim - first domestic one in thirty years!
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Message 1403557 - Posted: 15 Aug 2013, 18:44:53 UTC - in response to Message 1403552.  

It is standard practice for IT companies to advertise stuff that they don't actually have. If enough people order it and they can see a profit, they will go and buy it in bulk from a wholesaler. Else they have your details to email you in the future. It's all a big rip off.

It is called: "Being a broker."

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Message 1403564 - Posted: 15 Aug 2013, 19:03:20 UTC - in response to Message 1403562.  

No not really. Actual broker. Sells it and has it drop shipped from the manufacturer with the Broker's name on it. Real business, just don't have any inventory or warehouse costs. The manufacturer likes it as they don't have to hire a sales force.


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Message 1403976 - Posted: 16 Aug 2013, 19:08:01 UTC

They turned up at 17:40 yesterday. Reason was that the retailer now use Yodel for home deliveries & the first delivery was by an owner driver with an estate car. Couldn't fit the cases in. Fair enough reason I suppose.

The start of companies returning to decent business practices?
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Message 1404123 - Posted: 17 Aug 2013, 2:59:46 UTC

Honesty for a different delivery problem?



Open Rights Group revives 'unavailable for legal reasons' HTTP error code plan

... readers wondering why the number 451 is proposed, we recommended quick read of Farenheit 451, Ray Bradbury's seminal science fiction novel... making a 451 code a nice evocation of various government attempts to block access to and/or censor some web content.

The Open Rights Group wants internet service providers to display the code when their customers attempt to reach forbidden sites to highlight the UK's censorship laws and says doing so will help their customers because non-technical web users find the “403 Forbidden” often used to block access to sites confusing. ...



IT is what we let it be...
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Message boards : Politics : Can You Trust the Companies you deal with?


 
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