Was at InfoSec myself for the 3 days, and got extremely sick of people shoving leaflets etc in my face. Spent most of my time with my friends at the Eset stand (partially because I was meeting up with them anyway, and partially to avoid the leaflets etc).
This is a change of contract and as such, you're entitled to get out of the contract for free if you wish.
Interesting coinkydink - their name servers suggest a relation to adultfriendfinder.com ;o) (likely just coincidental, but I thought it humerous all the same).
As for Bango (aka bango.com, .net, .co.uk, .info) wouldn't surprise me if they were just Phorm with a different name (umbrella companies are very popular ......), but that's just my suspicious side coming out.
One answer of course, is to stop issuing IP ranges to criminals, and pull the IP ranges currently leased to criminals (e.g. NForce Entertainment, who are solely blackhat and have somewhere in the region of 12288 IPs leased to them)
Any chance of ensuring this becomes the very first page you see on every IT related book, tutorial, website, t-shirt, and becomes a mandatory first and last read for those studying IT in school/college/university.
Indeed, perhaps this should be the first thing you MUST read regardless of the field you're in?
Got the XL Black Edition recently as Dixons (or was it Curry's, I forget), had it for £130 instead of the usual £260 price tag (yipee). Got Billy Connolly's voice for it too.
Sadly however, the "Live" services, which would've been great, are still too expensive, given the price of the devices themselves, and how often you're likely to actually need it, on top of the fact the subscription for the "map updates" is somewhere in the region of an extra £60 or something.
As Robert said, wake me up when it's a tenner .....
What's wrong with just giving all kids, free school meals? We pay enough damn taxes to afford it (just nick some of the politicians/bankers pay/bonuses - they can afford it, or ask the government to stop spending so much on useless stuff such as a plethora of unmonitored CCTV).
Had a 3G dongle both when I attended the Microsoft Technical Launch for 7 last year, and the Reading MVP get together, and couldn't get a connection from the second the train left Newcastle Central Station, until I got to London, and even then, it was absolutely rubbish (was still rubbish when I reached Reading, used the internet cafe eventually as I got tired of trying).
.. with the test, is that all 3 were done within the same city, which isn't representative of reality for anyone living outside of such location. Would've been far more accurate to have done the tests at least once in 10-15 of the major towns and cities across the country, or even better, to have done a test in all of the major towns and cities (though that's likely not viable for most reporters, let alone a web reporter that likely isn't paid travel expenses).
I run a URL shortening service myself (no linky as I don't want to do the self advertising thingymabob), and am amazed that people still think you can make money from these.
URL shorteners have never been a viable business model, indeed, I run my own as a convenience to myself and others, and have never even contemplated trying to make money from it.
.... the fact it's obfuscated actually makes it easier to spot as obfuscated scripts are instantly analyzed when I come across them (specifically because I want to know what they're trying to hide from me)
.... if they did, I'd have a job! (as would several hundred other UK IT folk)
UK employers want CHEAP employment, which means outsourcing to places such as India. They don't give a crap whether or not they can actually do the job required, aslong as they come close to being able to do it at around a quarter of the cost.
tech-pro.net obviously couldn't give a crap, until it stops them earning money ...... what did they expect to happen?
@El Reg, TP are NOT a review site ........ reviewers that get paid by the companies that developed the program they are reviewing = biased (everything I saw on their site had affiliate rubbish all over it).
#1 of course, highlighted by BKB .... it's only gonna be useful for Python devs
#2 it's also gonna be useless for those such as myself, that specialize in desktop/security applications .... (can't exactly trust Google for that as it is ....)
... the only one thats happy this has fallen through?
I am not a fan of Microsoft by any means (don't hate 'em either though), but absolutely detest Yahoo (sorry guys, you don't deserve the exclamation) and by this having fallen through, we can now guarantee getting a laugh at their expense for even longer!
Hopefully in the meantime, Microsoft can improve Live search (it's been better than Yahoo in terms of quality for years).
.... booze, food and smoking have been banned here up North on public transport for years and I've seen only a handful of people take notice (only time you're at risk of getting caught for it is on match days when there's actually police or those apparently helpful (my arse they are) folk from Nexus present - even then they tend to do very little if they see someone doing such.
LOL! alas it appears they've just gone to the article, noticed it doesn't say what we saw, and thought "ZOMG! THEY CAN'T READ - QUICK LET'S TELL 'EM!!!!!!!!"
Ah the joys of being able to read through things completely ....
You've got your Lesbians mixed up ........ the cheeks are for the other ones apparently ;o)
@ Everyone Lesbo-Paris'ing .....
I'd rather it be Kylie Minogue and Alissa Milano ...... now there's a vision I still very much enjoy <vsg>
Speaking of Lesbians and El Reg actually - I can understand where us blokes would insert into IT ..... but where would the Lesbians? surely this should have given it away that they were gonna get themselves into a sticky position (okay, I couldn't help it) and leave 'em wide open (dammit, not again) to a lil criticism on their lack of journalistic research?
>> and is disqualified from opining on matters of popular culture
Or opinioning even ;o) ......
..... either way I'm happy - I tend to want to stab some Indy (couldn't help it, I'm still laughing from the Lesbo article) whenever I hear Winehouse' damn voice!!!
... since I was forced to watch him on XFactor, I've not seen or heard anything (thankfully) concerning him - till now. When exactly were those televotes again? and why wasn't I told? dammit!
Can we enter Iron Maiden instead? they're British, and a heck of alot better than anything we've previously entered, and still a heck of alot better than anything the UK has offered over the last 10 years or so ......
Not sure how most of your reply relates to this article but oks .... I'll bite as I'm in a funny mood.
Why didn't you also explain;
1. The MILLIONS of items of post that go missing? [1]
2. The RM staff that are KNOWN to steal post? (and it's been in the papers, and on TV numerous times ;o))
... back to the article ..... HSBC doing this is no suprise, they're a big firm and "OH NOES! teh funny computer transfer thingy is down" is probably about the best that their completely IT phobic staff could come up with.
Quite how they came up with the idea of using RM of all companies, is laughable ....... the fact the CD's and data weren't encrypted, comes right back to the fact that most of their staff know absolutely nothing about data security.
[1] I've both sent and meant to have received hundreds of mail to and from various places over the years .... addresses and postage were correct in almost all cases, so your explanation of "IT'S YOUR DAMN FAULT!" just isn't gonna cut it ;o)
For around 95% of my code, there's only myself that see's it, and even in those cases, I add comments to let myself know where I've put everything. In small projects this isn't too necessary, but most of my projects are over 1000 lines of code, and if you think I'm gonna leave out comments, return to the project a few months later and struggle to remember where I put everything, then you're having a laugh.
No serious programmer will leave code uncommented. The fact the comments may contain profanity or whatnot, is neither here nor there.
.... why not leave your damn ego aside, leave the fanboy rubbish aside, and let people use what they damn well please?
I'm a developer myself, and code my websites according to spec, and also allow for older and/or alternative shells such as IE5.x, IE6.x, Opera, FireFox etc etc etc. I'm not going to tell half of my userbase to essentially bugger off because I don't like what they may be using.
In my case, I detest Firefox, but at the same time, I appreciate that each user has their own preferences, and I respect that. Perhaps those wanting everyone else to adhere to their demands on shell usage, should do the same?.
"When you opt out -- or switch the system off, it's off. 100%. No browsing data whatsoever is passed from the ISP to Phorm. We should be clear that the Phorm servers are located in the ISP's network and browsing data is not transmitted outside the ISP. Even if you are opted out websites will still show you ads (as they do now) but these will not be adverts from the OIX system and they will not be relevant to your browsing.""[/Q]
This isn't actually true ....... whilst Phorm hardware exists on the ISP's network, the browsing data and everything else going to/from your computer, is passed to the central Phorm servers (located OUTSIDE of the ISP's network).
Additionally, you may want to mention to them that it's been pointed out time and time again that opted out or not, everything going from/to your computer, is still logged by the Phorm servers (just as it's always been logged by the ISP's servers (contrary to their claims)).
For those recommending Firefox + TMN, this will NOT stop them profiling you, nor will it stop them tracking you (I suspect they'll just filter out requests to search engines if enough people start doing this). Identifying fake requests is alot easier than some of you seem to think ;o)
If you want to stop them tracking/profiling you, use a proxy (i.e. Tor) .... and even then, make sure the traffic is encrypted for the proxy BEFORE it leaves your computer/network (i.e. SSH) .... and HOLY CHOCOLATE CAKES BATMAN - you can use shells other than FireFox with these!!!
@ the person that mentioned the government petition, ignore it - they'll not give a hoot ....
Best way to stop them doing this is to vote with your cash and move providers (i.e. to one that IS NOT selling your data). I'm currently with PlusNet, who claim may not be introducing this - which is also false (their RIN customers WILL be affected by this), and I doubt PN themselves will not be going for this themselves as they've been more interested in cash than customers for quite a while now (and I don't mean since being taken over by BT either).
For those wondering, whether you opt out, use TMN, your provider is a BT "reseller" (e.g. PN, AOHell, Tiscali, TalkTalk etc etc) (by reseller, I mean they still require you have a BT line, so it's obvious they go through BT pipes) - if your traffic is not encrypted before it leaves your end, it's going to go through BT/cable pipes, so it'll be trivial for them to profile you (they've actually been doing this for years - whether or not they previously sold it to third parties is debatable).
Can you end your contract without penalty if your ISP is using Phorm? yes you can. Your ISP has changed your contract without notifying you first and thus, has broken the contract themselves, thus all you need to do is write to them (ALWAYS put this type of thing in writing), and give them notice of their breach of contract and your subsequent cancelling of such contract.
A simple;
"Dear Sir/Madam,
Due to your introducing Phorm on your network, without giving me prior notice or requiring my written consent, you have breached our contract and thus made it void. I am therefor cancelling my subscription to [ISP NAME] immediately and without penalty."
I did the same to end my Tiscali and AOL contracts (though this was for a breach of contract, it had nothing to do with their tracking or selling me data or browsing habits).
Anywho, Top Gear is on ....... so I'm gonna stop rambling and caboot .....
I'll stop using outdoor heaters when we can have a ban on anti-smokers ......... yes Iain Purdie, I mean jackasses such as yourself!
You wanted us banned from smoking indoors - you got your wish, now you're bitching because we dare to keep ourselves warm outdoors? (alas I don't think my reply to that would get past the El Reg filters). Here's an idea for you - you see a smoker on the same side of the road as yourself, cross over the damn thing or quit bitching.
This whole patio heater ban, as has been pointed out, is about smokers, nothing more, nothing less (there are far more wasteful things than a damn heater!).
I've been tracking scammers using the 07, 08 and SMS premium numbers for a while now, and have dealt with PhonePayPlus, who to be perfectly honest, were and continue to be, utterly useless.
This new service from them is also guaranteed to prove absolutely useless as it can only provide what they have in their database. Usually this is ONLY the name of the provider (for researchers such as myself this may be useful, but for Average Joe, this is not going to help).
In my experience, it's much easier to get scammers shut down by going directly to the provider involved (aslong as it's not Open Telecom, as all they'll do is tell you to go and report it to the Police - who incidentally, also won't do anything, or Opal Telecom, who don't even seem to know how to reply).
I've had the distinct pleasure of shutting down a plethora of scammers without wasting my time with PPP.
@ Those above that claim they need to use these services - thats utter tosh. There are alternatives that you can give to clients and customers, that won't cost them a fortune (0845 anyone? - costs local rate, and there's an international one thats similiar to this)
The ID scheme is absolute rubbish. First it was to help fight fraud, next it was to help fight refugees, now it's to help fight problems that don't exist with the public (those existing within the government and RM are a different matter).
Lets see, how many is that now?
1. Employee cards
2. Drivers licence
3. Passport
4. Student cards
All of the above are photo ID's, we don't need anymore unless you are going to do away with the other 3 !!!! (#1 being required for companies and thus, unlikely to go away ;o) )
Register
42 posts • joined Tuesday 1st May 2007 03:54 GMT
Bah
Was at InfoSec myself for the 3 days, and got extremely sick of people shoving leaflets etc in my face. Spent most of my time with my friends at the Eset stand (partially because I was meeting up with them anyway, and partially to avoid the leaflets etc).
Skimming, phishing and keylogging primarily.
@PaulR79
Phone numbers can be traced to the network operator using;
http://www.ukphoneinfo.com/section/tci/locator.shtml
To those wondering ....
This is a change of contract and as such, you're entitled to get out of the contract for free if you wish.
Interesting coinkydink - their name servers suggest a relation to adultfriendfinder.com ;o) (likely just coincidental, but I thought it humerous all the same).
As for Bango (aka bango.com, .net, .co.uk, .info) wouldn't surprise me if they were just Phorm with a different name (umbrella companies are very popular ......), but that's just my suspicious side coming out.
One answer .....
One answer of course, is to stop issuing IP ranges to criminals, and pull the IP ranges currently leased to criminals (e.g. NForce Entertainment, who are solely blackhat and have somewhere in the region of 12288 IPs leased to them)
2 primary reasons ....
.... I'm not switching to Freeview HD (or any other for that matter);
1. I've got Freeview and;
a. It's x number of channels with 99.9% repeats
b. They can't even get the damn signals right for standard freeview (and yep, I've tried different boxes, arials, TVs etc etc etc)
2. Inclusive of the 99.9% repeats, given HD only has a few channels at present, there's absolutely no point.
LOL!
You owe me a new keyboard!
Errr ....
Any chance of ensuring this becomes the very first page you see on every IT related book, tutorial, website, t-shirt, and becomes a mandatory first and last read for those studying IT in school/college/university.
Indeed, perhaps this should be the first thing you MUST read regardless of the field you're in?
Oh dear ....
Got the XL Black Edition recently as Dixons (or was it Curry's, I forget), had it for £130 instead of the usual £260 price tag (yipee). Got Billy Connolly's voice for it too.
Sadly however, the "Live" services, which would've been great, are still too expensive, given the price of the devices themselves, and how often you're likely to actually need it, on top of the fact the subscription for the "map updates" is somewhere in the region of an extra £60 or something.
As Robert said, wake me up when it's a tenner .....
Errr ....
What's wrong with just giving all kids, free school meals? We pay enough damn taxes to afford it (just nick some of the politicians/bankers pay/bonuses - they can afford it, or ask the government to stop spending so much on useless stuff such as a plethora of unmonitored CCTV).
3G
Had a 3G dongle both when I attended the Microsoft Technical Launch for 7 last year, and the Reading MVP get together, and couldn't get a connection from the second the train left Newcastle Central Station, until I got to London, and even then, it was absolutely rubbish (was still rubbish when I reached Reading, used the internet cafe eventually as I got tired of trying).
The problem ....
.. with the test, is that all 3 were done within the same city, which isn't representative of reality for anyone living outside of such location. Would've been far more accurate to have done the tests at least once in 10-15 of the major towns and cities across the country, or even better, to have done a test in all of the major towns and cities (though that's likely not viable for most reporters, let alone a web reporter that likely isn't paid travel expenses).
Woops ....
I run a URL shortening service myself (no linky as I don't want to do the self advertising thingymabob), and am amazed that people still think you can make money from these.
URL shorteners have never been a viable business model, indeed, I run my own as a convenience to myself and others, and have never even contemplated trying to make money from it.
Anywho, I'm rambling.
Just a correction ....
.... the fact it's obfuscated actually makes it easier to spot as obfuscated scripts are instantly analyzed when I come across them (specifically because I want to know what they're trying to hide from me)
Cheers John!
Cheers for the article and ref John. The more people we can warn and subsequently prevent from being scammed, the better :o)
FastHosts? Bah, I'd rather use Virgin Rail!!!!!
FastHosts as far as I am concerned, can go straight to hell ......... especially after doing things like this;
http://hphosts.blogspot.com/2008/11/fasthosts-how-to-annoy-customer-in-one.html
@AC (Thursday 19th February 2009 15:37 GMT)
FastHosts are good at screwing people over ;o)
Where's the "Bomb FastHosts" icon when ya need it?
@Anonymous Coward Posted Thursday 5th February 2009 11:10 GMT
Definately more about Star Trek ....... I'm sick to death of PH
Employers don't want UK techies
.... if they did, I'd have a job! (as would several hundred other UK IT folk)
UK employers want CHEAP employment, which means outsourcing to places such as India. They don't give a crap whether or not they can actually do the job required, aslong as they come close to being able to do it at around a quarter of the cost.
Advertising .....
.... known rogues, tends to have that effect ........ lie with the dog, get fleas.
Just one example;
http://www.tech-pro.net/the-shield-deluxe.html
... and surprise surprise, your buy now button for it;
tech-pro.net/click.php?clickid=460
... is an affiliate link;
regnow.com/softsell/nph-softsell.cgi?affiliate=69581&item=12753-9¤cy=USD&ss_short_order=true
tech-pro.net obviously couldn't give a crap, until it stops them earning money ...... what did they expect to happen?
@El Reg, TP are NOT a review site ........ reviewers that get paid by the companies that developed the program they are reviewing = biased (everything I saw on their site had affiliate rubbish all over it).
Forget the article
..... these are the most hillarious comments I've read in years!
Cheers guys ...... I was in need of cheering up, hehe :o)
Two problems here ....
#1 of course, highlighted by BKB .... it's only gonna be useful for Python devs
#2 it's also gonna be useless for those such as myself, that specialize in desktop/security applications .... (can't exactly trust Google for that as it is ....)
Am I ...
... the only one thats happy this has fallen through?
I am not a fan of Microsoft by any means (don't hate 'em either though), but absolutely detest Yahoo (sorry guys, you don't deserve the exclamation) and by this having fallen through, we can now guarantee getting a laugh at their expense for even longer!
Hopefully in the meantime, Microsoft can improve Live search (it's been better than Yahoo in terms of quality for years).
Pointless ....
.... booze, food and smoking have been banned here up North on public transport for years and I've seen only a handful of people take notice (only time you're at risk of getting caught for it is on match days when there's actually police or those apparently helpful (my arse they are) folk from Nexus present - even then they tend to do very little if they see someone doing such.
@Jim
LOL! .......... serves me right for trying to be a smarta** <g>
@AC
LOL! alas it appears they've just gone to the article, noticed it doesn't say what we saw, and thought "ZOMG! THEY CAN'T READ - QUICK LET'S TELL 'EM!!!!!!!!"
Ah the joys of being able to read through things completely ....
@Elrond Hubbard
You've got your Lesbians mixed up ........ the cheeks are for the other ones apparently ;o)
@ Everyone Lesbo-Paris'ing .....
I'd rather it be Kylie Minogue and Alissa Milano ...... now there's a vision I still very much enjoy <vsg>
Speaking of Lesbians and El Reg actually - I can understand where us blokes would insert into IT ..... but where would the Lesbians? surely this should have given it away that they were gonna get themselves into a sticky position (okay, I couldn't help it) and leave 'em wide open (dammit, not again) to a lil criticism on their lack of journalistic research?
/- Penguin - cause someone had to .......
@Sarah Bee
>> and is disqualified from opining on matters of popular culture
Or opinioning even ;o) ......
..... either way I'm happy - I tend to want to stab some Indy (couldn't help it, I'm still laughing from the Lesbo article) whenever I hear Winehouse' damn voice!!!
I was ....
.... gonna laugh hysterically ....... until I noticed who the UK was entering .......
http://www.eurovision.tv/event/artistdetail?song=23995&event=1469
... since I was forced to watch him on XFactor, I've not seen or heard anything (thankfully) concerning him - till now. When exactly were those televotes again? and why wasn't I told? dammit!
Can we enter Iron Maiden instead? they're British, and a heck of alot better than anything we've previously entered, and still a heck of alot better than anything the UK has offered over the last 10 years or so ......
@Wize
Couldn't have put it better myself ;o)
@Negrad
Not sure how most of your reply relates to this article but oks .... I'll bite as I'm in a funny mood.
Why didn't you also explain;
1. The MILLIONS of items of post that go missing? [1]
2. The RM staff that are KNOWN to steal post? (and it's been in the papers, and on TV numerous times ;o))
... back to the article ..... HSBC doing this is no suprise, they're a big firm and "OH NOES! teh funny computer transfer thingy is down" is probably about the best that their completely IT phobic staff could come up with.
Quite how they came up with the idea of using RM of all companies, is laughable ....... the fact the CD's and data weren't encrypted, comes right back to the fact that most of their staff know absolutely nothing about data security.
[1] I've both sent and meant to have received hundreds of mail to and from various places over the years .... addresses and postage were correct in almost all cases, so your explanation of "IT'S YOUR DAMN FAULT!" just isn't gonna cut it ;o)
Absolute tosh
For around 95% of my code, there's only myself that see's it, and even in those cases, I add comments to let myself know where I've put everything. In small projects this isn't too necessary, but most of my projects are over 1000 lines of code, and if you think I'm gonna leave out comments, return to the project a few months later and struggle to remember where I put everything, then you're having a laugh.
No serious programmer will leave code uncommented. The fact the comments may contain profanity or whatnot, is neither here nor there.
Here's an idea ........
.... why not leave your damn ego aside, leave the fanboy rubbish aside, and let people use what they damn well please?
I'm a developer myself, and code my websites according to spec, and also allow for older and/or alternative shells such as IE5.x, IE6.x, Opera, FireFox etc etc etc. I'm not going to tell half of my userbase to essentially bugger off because I don't like what they may be using.
In my case, I detest Firefox, but at the same time, I appreciate that each user has their own preferences, and I respect that. Perhaps those wanting everyone else to adhere to their demands on shell usage, should do the same?.
Just an FYI folks
http://community.plus.net/forum/index.php/topic,61201.msg500802.html#msg500802
@Mark
I meant to add, with regards to;
[Q]"And got this answer from 'techteam':
"When you opt out -- or switch the system off, it's off. 100%. No browsing data whatsoever is passed from the ISP to Phorm. We should be clear that the Phorm servers are located in the ISP's network and browsing data is not transmitted outside the ISP. Even if you are opted out websites will still show you ads (as they do now) but these will not be adverts from the OIX system and they will not be relevant to your browsing.""[/Q]
This isn't actually true ....... whilst Phorm hardware exists on the ISP's network, the browsing data and everything else going to/from your computer, is passed to the central Phorm servers (located OUTSIDE of the ISP's network).
Additionally, you may want to mention to them that it's been pointed out time and time again that opted out or not, everything going from/to your computer, is still logged by the Phorm servers (just as it's always been logged by the ISP's servers (contrary to their claims)).
@Those recommending TrackMeNot
For those recommending Firefox + TMN, this will NOT stop them profiling you, nor will it stop them tracking you (I suspect they'll just filter out requests to search engines if enough people start doing this). Identifying fake requests is alot easier than some of you seem to think ;o)
If you want to stop them tracking/profiling you, use a proxy (i.e. Tor) .... and even then, make sure the traffic is encrypted for the proxy BEFORE it leaves your computer/network (i.e. SSH) .... and HOLY CHOCOLATE CAKES BATMAN - you can use shells other than FireFox with these!!!
@ the person that mentioned the government petition, ignore it - they'll not give a hoot ....
Best way to stop them doing this is to vote with your cash and move providers (i.e. to one that IS NOT selling your data). I'm currently with PlusNet, who claim may not be introducing this - which is also false (their RIN customers WILL be affected by this), and I doubt PN themselves will not be going for this themselves as they've been more interested in cash than customers for quite a while now (and I don't mean since being taken over by BT either).
For those wondering, whether you opt out, use TMN, your provider is a BT "reseller" (e.g. PN, AOHell, Tiscali, TalkTalk etc etc) (by reseller, I mean they still require you have a BT line, so it's obvious they go through BT pipes) - if your traffic is not encrypted before it leaves your end, it's going to go through BT/cable pipes, so it'll be trivial for them to profile you (they've actually been doing this for years - whether or not they previously sold it to third parties is debatable).
Can you end your contract without penalty if your ISP is using Phorm? yes you can. Your ISP has changed your contract without notifying you first and thus, has broken the contract themselves, thus all you need to do is write to them (ALWAYS put this type of thing in writing), and give them notice of their breach of contract and your subsequent cancelling of such contract.
A simple;
"Dear Sir/Madam,
Due to your introducing Phorm on your network, without giving me prior notice or requiring my written consent, you have breached our contract and thus made it void. I am therefor cancelling my subscription to [ISP NAME] immediately and without penalty."
I did the same to end my Tiscali and AOL contracts (though this was for a breach of contract, it had nothing to do with their tracking or selling me data or browsing habits).
Anywho, Top Gear is on ....... so I'm gonna stop rambling and caboot .....
It's YOUR fault!
I'll stop using outdoor heaters when we can have a ban on anti-smokers ......... yes Iain Purdie, I mean jackasses such as yourself!
You wanted us banned from smoking indoors - you got your wish, now you're bitching because we dare to keep ourselves warm outdoors? (alas I don't think my reply to that would get past the El Reg filters). Here's an idea for you - you see a smoker on the same side of the road as yourself, cross over the damn thing or quit bitching.
This whole patio heater ban, as has been pointed out, is about smokers, nothing more, nothing less (there are far more wasteful things than a damn heater!).
.... dammit, I need a smoke now!
May aswell ....
... add my 0.2p
I've been tracking scammers using the 07, 08 and SMS premium numbers for a while now, and have dealt with PhonePayPlus, who to be perfectly honest, were and continue to be, utterly useless.
This new service from them is also guaranteed to prove absolutely useless as it can only provide what they have in their database. Usually this is ONLY the name of the provider (for researchers such as myself this may be useful, but for Average Joe, this is not going to help).
In my experience, it's much easier to get scammers shut down by going directly to the provider involved (aslong as it's not Open Telecom, as all they'll do is tell you to go and report it to the Police - who incidentally, also won't do anything, or Opal Telecom, who don't even seem to know how to reply).
I've had the distinct pleasure of shutting down a plethora of scammers without wasting my time with PPP.
@ Those above that claim they need to use these services - thats utter tosh. There are alternatives that you can give to clients and customers, that won't cost them a fortune (0845 anyone? - costs local rate, and there's an international one thats similiar to this)
Whats next .....
.... Britney Spears presenting Top Gear?
Don't we already have enough crap on TV?
I have but one question ....
... where can I get one of these babies! (not normally an Acer fan, but with those spec's, I could be swayed)
Buy one I must ....
Not a VM customer and site borks ....
PlusNet customer here and allofmp3.com borks here too. Same hop as Paul.
**************************************
Tracing route to allofmp3.com [87.242.93.250]
over a maximum of 30 hops:
1 1 ms <1 ms <1 ms [snipped]
2 55 ms 54 ms 54 ms lo0-plusnet.pte-ag2.plus.net [195.166.128.72]
3 165 ms 225 ms 440 ms ge0-0-0-504.pte-gw2.plus.net [84.92.4.90]
4 574 ms 53 ms 53 ms ge1-0-0-23.ptn-gw1.plus.net [212.159.4.17]
5 54 ms 55 ms 55 ms gi1-1-22.ptn-gw5.plus.net [212.159.4.6]
6 54 ms 53 ms 53 ms 195.66.226.185
7 164 ms 55 ms 53 ms t1-1.mpd02.lon01.atlas.cogentco.com [130.117.2.26]
8 62 ms 62 ms 61 ms p3-2.mpd01.ams03.atlas.cogentco.com [130.117.1.169]
9 61 ms 62 ms 61 ms t10-0-0.core01.ams03.atlas.cogentco.com [130.117.0.237]
10 70 ms 70 ms 71 ms p2-3.core01.ham01.atlas.cogentco.com [130.117.2.122]
11 76 ms 75 ms 77 ms RESERVED.FOR.core01.cph01.atlas.cogentco.com [130.117.2.150]
12 85 ms 86 ms 85 ms p3-0.core01.sto01.atlas.cogentco.com [130.117.0.250]
13 187 ms 86 ms 92 ms linx-telecom.demarc.cogentco.com [149.6.80.130]
14 108 ms 108 ms 108 ms linxtelecom-gw.masterhost.ru [217.28.253.38]
15 109 ms 109 ms 109 ms 87.242.93.248
16 * * * Request timed out.
17 * * * Request timed out.
18 * * * Request timed out.
/ad nauseum/
Absolute rubbish
The ID scheme is absolute rubbish. First it was to help fight fraud, next it was to help fight refugees, now it's to help fight problems that don't exist with the public (those existing within the government and RM are a different matter).
Lets see, how many is that now?
1. Employee cards
2. Drivers licence
3. Passport
4. Student cards
All of the above are photo ID's, we don't need anymore unless you are going to do away with the other 3 !!!! (#1 being required for companies and thus, unlikely to go away ;o) )
Why am I not suprised ...
Somehow, I am failing to be suprised by this.