Comments for ipsidixit.net http://www.ipsidixit.net A far off place Fri, 21 Nov 2008 09:23:58 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc Comment on Pinnacle Showcenter 1000 by sgroarke http://www.ipsidixit.net/2007/10/19/pinnacle-showcenter-1000/#comment-3844 sgroarke Wed, 15 Oct 2008 07:53:58 +0000 http://www.ipsidixit.net/2007/10/19/58/#comment-3844 Guenter Thanks for that info. Do you run Oxylbox on Linux or Windows? If Linux, what's the webserver? If they've got video resume working on Apache-on-Linux then I'm very interested! Cheers, Sean Guenter

Thanks for that info. Do you run Oxylbox on Linux or Windows? If Linux, what’s the webserver? If they’ve got video resume working on Apache-on-Linux then I’m very interested!

Cheers,
Sean

]]> Comment on Pinnacle Showcenter 1000 by Guenter http://www.ipsidixit.net/2007/10/19/pinnacle-showcenter-1000/#comment-3843 Guenter Wed, 15 Oct 2008 07:34:28 +0000 http://www.ipsidixit.net/2007/10/19/58/#comment-3843 I've been reviewing all the packages you mention above myself. All in all I agree on you, especially when it comes to Pinnacles software ... There's just one point where you're totally wrong: Oxylbox IS capable of resuming from bookmarks it generates automatically while streaming. It's by this why Oxyl - though rather old code now - became my favourite. It works like a charm. Maybe you should give it a second chance. It's worth it, I promise. I’ve been reviewing all the packages you mention above myself. All in all I agree on you, especially when it comes to Pinnacles software … There’s just one point where you’re totally wrong: Oxylbox IS capable of resuming from bookmarks it generates automatically while streaming. It’s by this why Oxyl - though rather old code now - became my favourite. It works like a charm. Maybe you should give it a second chance. It’s worth it, I promise.

]]> Comment on Building a home server by ipsidixit.net » Blog Archive » VIA - Hot stuff! http://www.ipsidixit.net/2008/01/14/home-server-intro/#comment-3841 ipsidixit.net » Blog Archive » VIA - Hot stuff! Sun, 31 Aug 2008 19:42:39 +0000 http://www.ipsidixit.net/index.php/2008/01/14/62/#comment-3841 [...] while back I wrote a few notes on building a small home server box. Specifically here that I had chosen this neat Morex case and this VIA EK Corefusion [...] [...] while back I wrote a few notes on building a small home server box. Specifically here that I had chosen this neat Morex case and this VIA EK Corefusion [...]

]]> Comment on The usual suspects? Or the usual bullshit? by sgroarke http://www.ipsidixit.net/2008/07/21/the_usual_bullshit/#comment-3838 sgroarke Thu, 24 Jul 2008 06:45:13 +0000 http://www.ipsidixit.net/2008/07/21/92/#comment-3838 David comments above that the banks suffer "market penalties". Oh that they did! Take Northern Rock in the UK: market penalty? Nope. Taxpayers bail it out and the execs get fat severance packages. Last week, in the US, we've the potential catastrophe of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. And the "market penalty" was... A $200 billion (plus or minus, no sod really knows) donation from the US taxpayer. With penalties like those life must be sweet for a bank. While I, pragmatically, support the rescue of those institutions, it turns my stomach. On the one hand the only reason it's needed is that they are large enough for their failure to have a snowball effect and take down many other banks too. And then the governments compound their feebleness by doling out our money without fully nationalising the banks concerned. Here's billions of dollars (or pounds, or euros) as a gift from the proud citizens. Please now carry on as normal. Let us know if you need some more. David comments above that the banks suffer “market penalties”. Oh that they did!

Take Northern Rock in the UK: market penalty? Nope. Taxpayers bail it out and the execs get fat severance packages. Last week, in the US, we’ve the potential catastrophe of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. And the “market penalty” was… A $200 billion (plus or minus, no sod really knows) donation from the US taxpayer. With penalties like those life must be sweet for a bank.

While I, pragmatically, support the rescue of those institutions, it turns my stomach. On the one hand the only reason it’s needed is that they are large enough for their failure to have a snowball effect and take down many other banks too. And then the governments compound their feebleness by doling out our money without fully nationalising the banks concerned.

Here’s billions of dollars (or pounds, or euros) as a gift from the proud citizens. Please now carry on as normal. Let us know if you need some more.

]]> Comment on The usual suspects? Or the usual bullshit? by David Harper http://www.ipsidixit.net/2008/07/21/the_usual_bullshit/#comment-3837 David Harper Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:41:50 +0000 http://www.ipsidixit.net/2008/07/21/92/#comment-3837 But that's not the reviewer's point, which is important. Nobody is *really* pointing the finger at regulators (i.e., your car manufacturer). In my view, the regulators are the only folks who've escaped unscathed. Unlike the bank, which suffers market penalties, nobody monitors their performance. Reviewer is saying: many want to find a solution in better regulation (a "better" Basel II) but, missing the lesson of Basel I, they are not aware of the unintended consequences. He is saying, beware "mo better" regulation. Re the car, it's more like you are driving a NASCAR race, in a car owned by a team (shareholders, Board). Your job is to drive fast (maximize RAROC). What is a bank? management, shareholders, Board, bondholders, employees? You crash, CDO collateral and CDS intra broker dealers aren't even on the scene. Some victims (shareholders, laid off employees) are obvious some are not. Casting blame is non-trivial. But that’s not the reviewer’s point, which is important. Nobody is *really* pointing the finger at regulators (i.e., your car manufacturer). In my view, the regulators are the only folks who’ve escaped unscathed. Unlike the bank, which suffers market penalties, nobody monitors their performance. Reviewer is saying: many want to find a solution in better regulation (a “better” Basel II) but, missing the lesson of Basel I, they are not aware of the unintended consequences. He is saying, beware “mo better” regulation.

Re the car, it’s more like you are driving a NASCAR race, in a car owned by a team (shareholders, Board). Your job is to drive fast (maximize RAROC). What is a bank? management, shareholders, Board, bondholders, employees? You crash, CDO collateral and CDS intra broker dealers aren’t even on the scene. Some victims (shareholders, laid off employees) are obvious some are not. Casting blame is non-trivial.

]]> Comment on The usual suspects? Or the usual bullshit? by sgroarke http://www.ipsidixit.net/2008/07/21/the_usual_bullshit/#comment-3835 sgroarke Tue, 22 Jul 2008 08:07:44 +0000 http://www.ipsidixit.net/2008/07/21/92/#comment-3835 Thanks for the input re Basel I versus Basel II. The reviewer did not say, and hence I assumed Basel II. However my general point remains: Basel I and/or II may encourage certain behaviours which in turn make it tempting to take unreasonable risks. On the basis that banks are not actually forced to take on such risks, then I still point the finger directly at them. Typically dodgy motoring analogy coming up: the car manufacturers may "encourage" me to drive very very fast by making available cars with insanely high top speeds. But when they cut my body from the smoking wreck, is it really their fault? True, they might have done more to discourage me, but I was the idiot. :-) Thanks for the input re Basel I versus Basel II. The reviewer did not say, and hence I assumed Basel II.

However my general point remains: Basel I and/or II may encourage certain behaviours which in turn make it tempting to take unreasonable risks. On the basis that banks are not actually forced to take on such risks, then I still point the finger directly at them.

Typically dodgy motoring analogy coming up: the car manufacturers may “encourage” me to drive very very fast by making available cars with insanely high top speeds. But when they cut my body from the smoking wreck, is it really their fault? True, they might have done more to discourage me, but I was the idiot. :-)

]]> Comment on The usual suspects? Or the usual bullshit? by David Harper http://www.ipsidixit.net/2008/07/21/the_usual_bullshit/#comment-3834 David Harper Tue, 22 Jul 2008 03:13:04 +0000 http://www.ipsidixit.net/2008/07/21/92/#comment-3834 The economist, paraphrasing Soros, is referring to Basel I not Basel II. Basel II is still being implemented. In the US, all but 10 or 11 banks will continue under Basel I. Under Basel I, the well-known phenomena is called 'regulatory arbitrage:' it absolutely encouraged off balance sheet and seeking of riskier loans by lack of differential capital charges. Basel II is currently in various stages of adoption globally. The economist, paraphrasing Soros, is referring to Basel I not Basel II. Basel II is still being implemented. In the US, all but 10 or 11 banks will continue under Basel I. Under Basel I, the well-known phenomena is called ‘regulatory arbitrage:’ it absolutely encouraged off balance sheet and seeking of riskier loans by lack of differential capital charges. Basel II is currently in various stages of adoption globally.

]]> Comment on The usual suspects? Or the usual bullshit? by Tim Ramsey http://www.ipsidixit.net/2008/07/21/the_usual_bullshit/#comment-3833 Tim Ramsey Mon, 21 Jul 2008 10:06:22 +0000 http://www.ipsidixit.net/2008/07/21/92/#comment-3833 I recently came accross your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I dont know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. Tim Ramsey I recently came accross your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I dont know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog.

Tim Ramsey

]]> Comment on MD5 Hashes - Part 2 by sgroarke http://www.ipsidixit.net/2006/10/17/md5-hashes-part-2/#comment-3832 sgroarke Thu, 17 Jul 2008 08:44:45 +0000 http://www.ipsidixit.net/2006/10/17/44/#comment-3832 I'd love to help, but I'm not even clear what's been asked! I *think* that I'm asked to "decode" an MD5 hash. I obviously failed to make one thing clear: hashes, by their very definition, cannot (if well constructed anyway!) be "decoded". Hashing does not equate to encryption! If the hash supplied comes, for example, from a system's password file then one might be able to "crack" it by a combination of brute-forcing and a dictionary attack. This is not just theoretically possible, but, a couple of years ago, I actually did this on a password file, with considerable success. However for all I know, this MD5 hash comes from hashing a 200MB PDF file. Or whatever. You cannot decode an MD5 hash. Period. Only if you know that the item that has been hashed is relatively small have you any chance of engineering a reverse. I’d love to help, but I’m not even clear what’s been asked! I *think* that I’m asked to “decode” an MD5 hash.

I obviously failed to make one thing clear: hashes, by their very definition, cannot (if well constructed anyway!) be “decoded”. Hashing does not equate to encryption!

If the hash supplied comes, for example, from a system’s password file then one might be able to “crack” it by a combination of brute-forcing and a dictionary attack. This is not just theoretically possible, but, a couple of years ago, I actually did this on a password file, with considerable success.

However for all I know, this MD5 hash comes from hashing a 200MB PDF file. Or whatever.

You cannot decode an MD5 hash. Period. Only if you know that the item that has been hashed is relatively small have you any chance of engineering a reverse.

]]> Comment on KDE 4. Short but not sweet. by ipsidixit.net » Blog Archive http://www.ipsidixit.net/2008/01/22/kde4/#comment-3831 ipsidixit.net » Blog Archive Thu, 17 Jul 2008 08:21:27 +0000 http://www.ipsidixit.net/index.php/2008/01/22/69/#comment-3831 [...] in January I wrote about the newly-released KDE 4.0, and what a disappointment it was.Since then, and particularly in recent [...] [...] in January I wrote about the newly-released KDE 4.0, and what a disappointment it was.Since then, and particularly in recent [...]

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