Daily Tech News 23 April 2021

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Three weeks ago it was the Easter long weekend, I was kicking back, playing some Minecraft, configuring the brand new 128-core Epyc server we got at work... Then the Fire Nation attacked.

This is the first night I've had off since then. Tomorrow I'm even planning to go outside. That will be exciting.

The opening credits for the 10-episode Dirty Pair OVA series. This was the 80s, when Japan had the money to do things like this, and also apparently the drugs.

Tech News

The University of Minnesota takes this situation extremely seriously. (Tom's Hardware)

Translation: We got caught.
The best tablets of 2021. (TechSpot)

I want a new 7" or 8" tablet. It's what I use to read books. I have two Nexus 7 tablets from 2013, and it's nearly impossible to find anything better than that.

There are plenty of 10" and larger tablets, but small tablets are almost extinct.
Ubuntu 21.04 is out. (Tom's Hardware)

It has stuff. I'm more interested in the LTS (long-term stable) releases that come out every second year, though. I've been very happy with 20.04; normally I give new releases a few months to settle down, but I tried 20.04 when if first came out and still have yet to run into any significant issues.

I mean, apart from systemd. Fuck systemd.
Out: RGB. In: LCD. (WCCFTech)

The Asus ROG Ryujin II AIO - a CPU water cooler - has a built-in 3.5" LCD display.

Why?
The Post Office is spying on you. (Yahoo)

I'm so old I still remember when they delivered mail.
The EFF is suing Proctorio - a company that spies on students during exams - for issuing false DMCA takedown notices. (EFF)

<mr burns> Excellent.</mr burns>
128 cores and four drive bays. (Serve the Home)

Why would you do that? Who would buy such a thing?

Your own 128 core Epyc server only has three disk drives.

Well, yes, but we could add more if we wanted.

Speaking of which, 15TB Enterprise NVMe drives are pretty neat.
Oops, they explained. (Phoronix)

An IBM engineer was ordered to remove a patch submitted to the Linux kernel because he used his personal email address for work done in his own time.

IBM has now confirmed that this was a mistake, and - though not in so many words - that the manager involved in the kerfuffle is a dumbass.
Twitter phished its own users. (Bleeping Computer)

They sent out suspicious-looking emails asking you to click on a link to confirm your Twitter account, even though your Twitter account was already confirmed and working fine. The emails were genuine, though; Twitter is just stupid.
The new iMac is overpriced. (ZDNet)

For the same money you could get an overpriced Mac Mini and two 32" 4K monitors.

And it can't be upgraded, repaired, or even recycled.

You buy it, keep it until it dies, then buy a new one.
Google is updating the UI of their Meet video call app. (ZDNet)

They say don't fix that which isn't broken, but Google is clear on that score. The current Meet UI is garbage.
Honey is now radioactive. (Motherboard)

The modern era is defined as the period in which carbon dating no longer works. Not because carbon dating isn't sensitive enough, but because everything since the 1950s is now slightly radioactive, and that's enough to make the measurements meaningless.
John Deere doesn't let you repair your own equipment, but they do dox their own customers. (Security Ledger)
Sick Codes, the researcher, said he created a free developer account with Deere and found the first myjohndeere.com vulnerability before he had even logged into the company’s web site.
Oops.
A new Facebook bug exposes millions of email addresses. (Wired)

Per day. They estimate they can find five million addresses per day.
The researcher, whom Ars agreed not to identify, said that Facebook Email Search exploited a front-end vulnerability that he reported to Facebook recently but that "they [Facebook> do not consider to be important enough to be patched."
I'm sure they don't.
Even the Stalinists at Slashdot hate the Stalinists at Mozilla. (Slashdot)

The Stalinist Slashdot Alliance is fighting it out with the Slashdot Alliance of Stalinists in the comments. The Alliance of Slashdot Stalinists is waiting in the wings to shoot the survivors.
The Biden Administration is planning to loot the roughly $100 billion in cash held by Big Tech companies in overseas banks. (Bloomberg)

First helpful or intelligible thing any of them have done all year.

Disclaimer: LOVELY ANGELS!

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 04:22 AM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 Got the formatting right on the fifth attempt...

Posted by: Pixy Misa at April 23, 2021 03:31 AM (MqQvv)

2 Congratulations! And at this hour, too! You are destined to have a great day, for your definition of day, that is.

Posted by: Not a postman but possibly postal at April 23, 2021 03:43 AM (1pGxg)

3 rd

Posted by: a dude in MI at April 23, 2021 03:43 AM (+I6Y/)

4 Got the formatting right on the fifth attempt...

Excellent.

Posted by: Mr. Burns at April 23, 2021 03:44 AM (W4eKo)

5 The links show us a dark future. Everyone spying on us and it looks bleak.
Go back to basics, bourbon and ammo. Not necessarily in that order.
It's assumed that you have enough knowledge to attain your own food.

Posted by: LeftCoast Dawg at April 23, 2021 03:45 AM (sy5kK)

6 Oh and , what is hip?

https://m.youtube.com /watch?v=SN8pWdZhVaM

space after com

Posted by: LeftCoast Dawg at April 23, 2021 03:50 AM (sy5kK)

7 Woke up to an email from my ISP saying they had bumped my download up by an extra 100 Mbps "for free". Must be part of an effort to make their crappy service a little less crappy. Heh.

Posted by: Notorious BFD at April 23, 2021 03:51 AM (W4eKo)

8 Biden VS. Big Tech. Let them fight.

Posted by: Quint at April 23, 2021 03:54 AM (TPY/s)

9 This is the first night I've had off since then. Tomorrow I'm even planning to go outside.

Don't do it, Nature will try to kill you.
Stay inside, where it's safe, and keeping the Ace site running gives your life meaning and purpose.

You're welcome.

Posted by: Delurk Ergo Sum at April 23, 2021 03:58 AM (YwPJG)

10 Saw Tower of Power live, back when dinosaurs roamed the earf. Awesome show. Always one of my favorites.

Posted by: Notorious BFD at April 23, 2021 03:59 AM (W4eKo)

11 Just wanted to point out that the time stamp is an hour off.

So go ahead and post something. Then go commit a crime, and when the cops want an alibi, just show them your post and the time stamp.

It could be your chance for the perfect crime.

Posted by: LeftCoast Dawg at April 23, 2021 04:00 AM (sy5kK)

12 As to the Mac being "overpriced":
Res tantum valet quantum vendi potest. (And as much as I have some Apple products, you couldn't get me to buy a Mac if it were 15 cents.)

Posted by: Catch Thirty-Thr33 at April 23, 2021 04:20 AM (49Dnm)

13 You kick ass, Pixy! Take the rest of the week off.

Posted by: Dr. Bone at April 23, 2021 04:20 AM (PLitN)

14 Pixy Misa

May every traffic light turn green when you return home. Outside is nice. Enjoy!

And thank you.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at April 23, 2021 04:25 AM (u82oZ)

15
g'mornin', 'rons

Posted by: AltonJackson at April 23, 2021 04:43 AM (DUIap)

16 Saw Tower of Power live, back when dinosaurs roamed the earf. Awesome show. Always one of my favorites.
Posted by: Notorious BFD

I remember all you dang hipsters types back in the day. Earth, Wind and Fire on your favs list too?

* turns up the Zeppelin *

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pNo1nS_JV5k

I probably had better drugs in the seventies.

Posted by: Sock Monkey * hillbilly environmentalist at April 23, 2021 04:46 AM (of9mr)

17 Pixy, vitamin D, it's good for you! Get your eyes off the screen and go outside. Leave your electronic devices at home.

Posted by: Sock Monkey * hillbilly environmentalist at April 23, 2021 04:50 AM (of9mr)

18 Good morning morons

I had "Computer Math" class in high school with Commodore 64s with the cassette tape input. The teacher was the football coach.

Posted by: San Franpsycho at April 23, 2021 04:52 AM (EZebt)

19
I had "Computer Math" class in high school with Commodore 64s with the cassette tape input. The teacher was the football coach.
Posted by: San Franpsycho

Trash 80 (first computer) for the win.

Posted by: Sock Monkey * hillbilly environmentalist at April 23, 2021 04:55 AM (of9mr)

20 Wandering around the web yesterday I paid attention to which sites loaded quickly (or froze completely) and which didn't. To no one's surprise, puppies and kitteh load instantly but anything not totally PC goes to the back of the line. The webpage freezes and the YT video buffers endlessly. I don't think this is an accidental tech problem. I think this is deliberate and targeted. And I think they're just getting started. We are going to be incommunicado before long.

G'morning, all.

Posted by: creeper at April 23, 2021 04:58 AM (XxJt1)

21 Good morning!

Let's smile & be happy & strike fear in the hearts of killjoy leftists everywhere.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at April 23, 2021 05:00 AM (u82oZ)

22 Morning, 'rons and 'ettes.

Posted by: olddog in mo, uckfay ancercay at April 23, 2021 05:02 AM (ju2Fy)

23 Thanks for the heads up on the Pixy thread, Salty.

Posted by: olddog in mo, uckfay ancercay at April 23, 2021 05:02 AM (ju2Fy)

24 We are going to be incommunicado before long.

G'morning, all.
Posted by: creeper

Might be time to start salting some of their server farms.

Posted by: Sock Monkey * hillbilly environmentalist at April 23, 2021 05:02 AM (of9mr)

25 olddog in mo, uckfay ancercay

Getting closer to Lake weather? And I hope your bride is thriving, as well as you.

My favorite fashion report of yours was on Kate's and Melania's rings.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at April 23, 2021 05:04 AM (u82oZ)

26 Tech for your mind.

Douglas Murray - Permission To Think Differently

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SLx2ifDTOc

Posted by: Corner Stone at April 23, 2021 05:06 AM (HK4MN)

27 Prolly get the 'toon out in couple of weeks, Salty. It's a mess down there now. Having new deck installed. The lifetime composite deck lasted 15 years.

Posted by: olddog in mo, uckfay ancercay at April 23, 2021 05:07 AM (ju2Fy)

28 Sock Monkey * hillbilly environmentalist

Please consider actions that are more targeted, and harder to recover from. Because Google, Facebook, and Twitter are evil. And OPSEC.

I just want to be left alone.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at April 23, 2021 05:07 AM (u82oZ)

29 olddog in mo, uckfay ancercay

The lengths you both go to to eliminate tan lines. Wow.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at April 23, 2021 05:08 AM (u82oZ)

30 Look what big tech and media covered up.

It will make your blood boil.

https://youtu.be/7y3Bffyio-A

Posted by: Corner Stone at April 23, 2021 05:08 AM (HK4MN)

31 19
I had "Computer Math" class in high school with Commodore 64s with the cassette tape input. The teacher was the football coach.
Posted by: San Franpsycho

Trash 80 (first computer) for the win.
Posted by: Sock Monkey

Ah yes, the Trash 80. I 'memba.

Posted by: Puddleglum at work at April 23, 2021 05:10 AM (Yk+yu)

32 And OPSEC.

Yea. Mr. Postman and his intervention team are going to roll up my road in the black Yukon one of these days. Their mistake.

Posted by: Sock Monkey * think Deliverance at April 23, 2021 05:12 AM (of9mr)

33 Thanks Pixy, for everything ! Enjoy !

Posted by: sock_rat_eez at April 23, 2021 05:13 AM (uk6Gp)

34 Gopher school will soon move on to stage 2 of the SJW defense mechanism-yes we did something you think is wrong but we will fix it by doing it harder.

Posted by: sven at April 23, 2021 05:17 AM (Lzpvj)

35 "(Jump to top of page)" *contented sigh* And now it's all there. Thank you, Pixy. You went above and beyond.

Posted by: creeper at April 23, 2021 05:18 AM (XxJt1)

36 University of Minnesota, wow, tattoo the big red star on their hand for that one.

Posted by: sock_rat_eez at April 23, 2021 05:20 AM (uk6Gp)

37 On the phishing front, I am amazed that the phisherfolk think sending me texts with the 513 number to sell my house(that has not existed since the 1990s) in Ohio is a winning move.

I am left wondering if they got my data from open secrets, social security, the ohio tax system, or voter rolls?

Posted by: sven at April 23, 2021 05:20 AM (Lzpvj)

38 mornin yall. When John Deere made that call I few years back I was very disappointed.

It was almost like another large US based company did not know their own costumer base.

To be fair to Old Green it is not like US automakers have not been pushing for the same thing.

Being a mechanic not tied to a dealership and a brand "school" is becoming rare.

Most of the mechanics who don't work for dealerships are within ten years of retiring.

Posted by: Big V Caffeinated at April 23, 2021 05:21 AM (6Pqz7)

39 38 Posted by: Big V Caffeinated at April 23, 2021 05:21 AM (6Pqz7)

Aunt Gertrude having to take her car to a dealer to be able to play soccer gram gram is one thing.

Screwing with the bottom line of the folks feeding 40% of the world is another.

Posted by: sven at April 23, 2021 05:23 AM (Lzpvj)

40 meh, what could go wrong ? - - - marxists everywhere

Posted by: sock_rat_eez at April 23, 2021 05:25 AM (uk6Gp)

41 40 Posted by: sock_rat_eez at April 23, 2021 05:25 AM (uk6Gp)

"Capitalism is evil because it allows too much random chaos"

//Marx looking at Adam Smith

"Command economics is evil because the singular chaos inflicted is planned."

//Smith seeing Marx in the future

Posted by: sven at April 23, 2021 05:28 AM (Lzpvj)

42 Time for work preps.

Have a blessed day, everyone.

Because COVID-19 Wuhan has 0.02% of a Mattis plan.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at April 23, 2021 05:28 AM (u82oZ)

43 42 Posted by: NaCly Dog at April 23, 2021 05:28 AM (u82oZ)

1000 pennies, we need to end western civ and liberty for 2 cents now.

Posted by: sven at April 23, 2021 05:29 AM (Lzpvj)

44 Screwing with the bottom line of the folks feeding 40% of the world is another.
Posted by: sven

Case/IH and Caterpillar Farm are in the same boat as JD.

Posted by: Sock Monkey * think Deliverance at April 23, 2021 05:30 AM (of9mr)

45 44 Posted by: Sock Monkey * think Deliverance at April 23, 2021 05:30 AM (of9mr)

Rather than the future being a monopoly in the classic sense it will effectively be a cartelized trust system regarding business ethics.

Once upon a time the job of the Federal government was to prevent collusory behavior by "rival" businesses engaged in a trade sector.

These businesses are either formally or informally agreeing on these "ethical guidelines."

Farmers should be able to fix their equipment as quickly as possible so yields are unimpacted PERIOD.

Thank God our governments have effectively been bought.

Posted by: sven at April 23, 2021 05:35 AM (Lzpvj)

46 sven

Came back to say our leaders are unlearned, short-sided, corrupt, barbarians. Note the Oxford comma.

And I screwed up my sign-off.
Hand washing is the new head on a swivel.
Because COVID-19 Wuhan has 0.02% of a Mattis plan.

Got to go. Have a serene day, Sven.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at April 23, 2021 05:36 AM (u82oZ)

47 46 Posted by: NaCly Dog at April 23, 2021 05:36 AM (u82oZ)

Be safe, productive, and as happy as you can.

Posted by: sven at April 23, 2021 05:37 AM (Lzpvj)

48 Pity Misa--I've heard there are dangerous snakes where you are. STAY INSIDE.

Posted by: Ladyl at April 23, 2021 05:39 AM (TdMsT)

49 Hot Coffee...SpaceX launch !!

Posted by: qmark at April 23, 2021 05:43 AM (ZKy1h)

50 Ware to free your mind from the "Media."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nmbd60apsfQ

T Michael
6 months ago
I agree everything you said. I am a black immigrant man from ethiopia here living in canada for the last 30 years and I have never been discriminated by anyone . We are here bombarded by media and politicians how canadian institutions and police are racist towards black people. I feel that I am in a different planet.

Posted by: Corner Stone at April 23, 2021 05:44 AM (HK4MN)

51 50 Posted by: Corner Stone at April 23, 2021 05:44 AM (HK4MN)

One of the detriments of the "information age" is the allowance of faux realities.

Run an observational experiment when you have the time, go to an outdoor cafe near a busy intersection and observe how many people are *actually* actively thinking or focused on their environment.

My average in Houston metro is ~ 12-17% at any given time the rest are tied to their personal devices.

Posted by: sven at April 23, 2021 05:48 AM (Lzpvj)

52 If you didn't see it, and have 10 minutes (get another cup of coffee) some folks might appreciate Candace Owen's righteous rant against the media, the left and LeBron James for being degenerate, celebrating criminality and demonizing the police officer who shot Ma'Kiah (sp) who was killed in the act of trying to stab another black woman:

https://tinyurl.com/42xeu6wm

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at April 23, 2021 05:52 AM (7hF2c)

53 Nood.

Posted by: Hawkpilot at April 23, 2021 06:00 AM (yuFSI)

54 52 Posted by: FenelonSpoke at April 23, 2021 05:52 AM (7hF2c)

The proof of their lie that "folks stab each other all the time" is replace the black stabber with a white and SUDDENLY *poof* it is the worst crime of all time!

They seek license, they are incapable of dealing honestly with their responsibilities in the civic compact.

They think "civic compact" is a honda in a trash compactor.

Posted by: sven at April 23, 2021 06:01 AM (Lzpvj)

55 Are you sure you want to go outside, Pixy? After all, you live in Australia, where Outside wants to kill you.

Maybe just open a window or something.

Posted by: bluebell at April 23, 2021 06:30 AM (wyw4S)

56 You buy it, keep it until it dies, or Apple "upgrades" the OS to the point where it won't work on your computer, and suddenly your perfectly fine Mac starts having "issues",then buy a new one.

FIFY.

All that being said, I basically still love my mac.

I'm in no sense a power user and for personal use, what I need is a black box that powers on every time and works, so I can write or research or surf.

I have windows comps at the office and they suck balls. Fortunately, most of the time, all they require is a restart but even then you can still lose data. Windows is an ongoing cost sink.

Whereas, yeah, I need to buy a new mac every so often, but the overall cost of ownership is much less.

Posted by: naturalfake at April 23, 2021 07:05 AM (dWwl8)

57 Ubuntu 20.04 killed off libraries needed by a terrific scientific graphics program called GLE that I've been using for decades. I wound up having to upgrade to 20.10 (Groovy Gorilla) to get it back. That's the one thing you have to watch out for with Ubuntu. There's a tendency to "clean up" things that are used by older software.

Posted by: MichiCanuck at April 23, 2021 07:10 AM (OHpoj)

58 Honey is now radioactive.

This is interesting.

I wonder if micropollutants like this, and say, peed-out birth control hormones, etc now residing in the water supply can over time,

can have a catastrophic synergistic effect on human and biological life in general that by themselves they couldn't produce?

Posted by: naturalfake at April 23, 2021 07:10 AM (dWwl8)

59 I wonder when Pixy will run out of Dirty Pair and switch to Macross.....

Posted by: Broseidon at April 23, 2021 07:25 AM (UW+yo)

60 52 If you didn't see it, and have 10 minutes (get another cup of coffee) some folks might appreciate Candace Owen's righteous rant against the media, the left and LeBron James for being degenerate, celebrating criminality and demonizing the police officer who shot Ma'Kiah (sp) who was killed in the act of trying to stab another black woman:

https://tinyurl.com/42xeu6wm
Posted by: FenelonSpoke at April 23, 2021 05:52 AM (7hF2c)

Thanks for recommending this, Fen, and for recommending it as an accompaniment: I listened to it while dusting my desk!

Posted by: m at April 23, 2021 08:03 AM (rk2/G)

61 Ace absolutely needs to change the official motto of this blog from "smart military blog" to "genius level hacker blog"

and moar tech please Pixy, a palate cleanser for all the f**king drivel coming out of DC.

Posted by: sixoh1 at April 23, 2021 09:41 AM (2bG03)

62 All right, Pixy, for the memorable intro for my fave gals, Kei & Yuri, in the Dirty Pair OVA. though, I do prefer the series intro "Russian Roulette" as the definitive snapshot of this classic series. Please keep the clips going for the classic 80s anime goodness. intro consistent excellent Retro Anime !

Posted by: LazzariScooter at April 24, 2021 03:25 AM (YvEh8)

63

Thanks Pixy for your hard work getting the site restored. It's become like my favorite old shoes. Anything else doesn't quite feel the same.

Posted by: Willy Stark at April 24, 2021 09:47 PM (kk8TL)

64 I should add its nice to have a real geek posting stuff.

Posted by: Willy Stark at April 24, 2021 09:53 PM (kk8TL)

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