Root Access

Journeyman Geek

1:00 PM

@Burgi those are also lower end, older models

allquixotic

@JourneymanGeek it's 960x540 -- the freedom site says it's "qHD", which specifically refers to "540p"

Journeyman Geek

._.

Also... them renders

allquixotic

the funny thing is that the image of the phone looks very much like a Note 5

Journeyman Geek

Prolly is

I mean man

I could throw up a better mockup

allquixotic

I'll grant them this: they have intentionally selected specs to advertise on the website that are extremely low-end, by today's standards, which helps justify the believability of them selling it at this price point, especially if they intend to use mandatory advertising built into the firmware as a means of making back their money

Burgi

1:03 PM

you used to be able to get a phone in the UK for £2 preloaded with £10 credit

Journeyman Geek

(for context - its under 3.3 euro or 3.6usd)

0_0

allquixotic

@Burgi 2 pounds is more than this thing costs, I think

actually nevermind

it's 2.56 gbp

@Burgi a dumb phone though, right? these are smartphones with Android Lollipop

Burgi

you make money purchasing it!

@allquixotic i think so

i can't see the original link, our proxy has nuked it

are they only taking pre-orders?

allquixotic

you still go through your work's proxy? come on, man, get with the game! guac-dev.org

Burgi

normally no, but i left my laptop in the car this morning

Journeyman Geek

1:07 PM

looks like it

they take 'bookings' from feb 18

Burgi

our crm dev is in india right now i could have got him to buy one and see what it is like

Journeyman Geek

lol

Burgi

grrrr!

i go to a planning meeting that i was ordered to go to and discover that i am the only attendee

including the person who organised it

sometimes i feel like i am actually dilbert

Bob

@allquixotic Heh, Rockchip.

> With 3.2MP AF Rear Camera & .3MP Front camera capture best moments of your life.

The best moments of my life are apparently all giant blobs of faded colour.

(depending on sensor quality, of course... but at that price...)

I'm amazed they even offer 1 year warranty on the thing.

Assuming it's not a legal requirement.

HackToHell

1:27 PM

There's a 5 month delivery deadline

yep, fake

Bob

Burgi

lol love it

this answer came up in the review queue but i'm not sure how to deal it it as the original question is OT

0

A: Equivalent to "Stylish" plug-in for IE 9

TrixIE is the closest; it works with (most) of the styles supported by Stylish (e.g. those on UserStyles.org).

HackToHell

Hey @bob what's that cheap tab you got for reading ?

I wanna pick one up

Bob

@HackToHell ...which one? o.O

I usually read on my phone now

5.5" screen on my phone is enough lol

HackToHell

oh, I think you mentioned that one of your tabs was good for reading

Burgi

1:39 PM

i bought both my parents a Hudl2 from tescos, was only £99. sadly they have stopped making it now

HackToHell

I want a 7" one for text books

Bob

@HackToHell I don't remember saying that :P

HackToHell

So was it @allquixotic then?

;p

qasdfdsaq

Elite Dangerous: Arena Launch Trailer

►

HackToHell

idk

flipkart.com/…

Windows tab for 4k

nice

qasdfdsaq

1:51 PM

iflscience.com/brain/online-harassers-really-are-losers

tereško

oh-the-joy techdirt.com/articles/20160216/17393733617/…

qasdfdsaq

> A magistrate judge, an Apple employee, and an FBI agent agree to meet at a local bar. Only the Apple employee makes it. Why? Because the bar didn't have a back door.

Burgi

The FBI stormed the building via every available orifice?

GFSE

2:18 PM

GemsFromStackExchange: saying it 3 times does not “help help help”

posted on February 17, 2016

saying it 3 times does not “help help help”

Burgi

worked for the beatles

bwDraco

2:44 PM

7

Q: USB flash drive not working or is appearing as an empty disk drive, Disk Management reports "No Media" with 0 bytes size

I have a USB flash drive which is no longer recognized by my computer. Windows Disk Management and DiskPart report No Media with no storage space (0 bytes) on the drive and I cannot partition or format the drive: Source If the drive appears in Windows Explorer, trying to access it returns an e...

Dave

Heres a nice little glibc gem.. googleonlinesecurity.blogspot.ca/2016/02/… CVE-2015-7547

Burgi

thanks @bwDraco, i need to get permission from my aunt before i can poke the laptop with a stick

i only did a cursory investigation over the phone last night

the drive worked flawlessly on every other PC so i suspect the issue is actually on the laptop itself

Bob

3:17 PM

13

Q: How to fill CAPTCHA using automation?

How can I automate, 'Enter CAPTCHA' using Selenium Web Driver ?

automated-testing selenium selenium-webdriver

@allquixotic ^

lol

@allquixotic Also, that seems like a relevant SE for you :P

Burgi

3:30 PM

@bob that is possibly one of the best questions i have ever seen

i am surprised it hasn't hit the HNQ list yet

That Brazilian Guy

4 hours ago, by Bob

Eventually found a copy of it in a PDF in a backup of a micro SD card in a backup of a laptop in a backup of an external HDD.

Burgi

why does microsoft suffix their english patches with ENU instead of ENG?

DavidPostill

lol. good question, with a problem that cannot be solved, other than using workarounds during testing.

Burgi

oops

meant to only post the english one... AppFabric-KB3092423-x64-ENU.exe

why the U?

DavidPostill

@burgi. Because it is Microsoft. And they are not following their own guidelines :;

Burgi

3:40 PM

they have guidelines?

DavidPostill

New File Naming Schema for Microsoft Windows Software Update Packages https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/816915 "For a complete list of standard language name abbreviations, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/goglobal/bb896001"

> National Language Support (NLS) API Reference
"0x0809 en-GB English (United Kingdom) English English (United Kingdom) 1252 850 GBR"

So they should be using "GBR" according to their own guidelines ;)

"0x0409 en-US English (United States) English English (United States) 1252 437 USA ENU"
"ENU" is ENglish United states

U == United states

Burgi

the only explaination i can think of is it stands for ENglish Universal and includes all the variations of english

ah

DavidPostill

So ignore the GBR comment, you were looking at a USA patch ;)

bwDraco

roar

DavidPostill

@bwDraco Good morning ;)

bwDraco

3:46 PM

> Intel pushed their behemoth weight around and leaned on ALL the manufacturers with all their Legal folks pressure to have them cease and desist what ASRock, here, discovered in the ability to enable OC'ing on Non-K processors, Sky OC. Only because Intel themselves do not want Non-K processors OC'd. In Intels business plan there are two enthusiast processors they themselves produce for the market, K and Non-K. In Intels way of seeing things, and concerning the forced removal of Non-K procesors, they make 'em and they themselves have control over their usage. Damn the enthusiast community a…

DavidPostill

@Burgi When you said English I thought you meant real English as you are from the UK, correct?

bwDraco

forum.asrock.com/…

qasdfdsaq

What a load of rubbish

The whole point of overclocking is it's not a manufacturer condoned activity

Burgi

@DavidPostill i am and in the lovely capital of the north

thats manchester btw

qasdfdsaq

Newcastle > Manchester

jokerdino

3:52 PM

Manchester is blue.

Burgi

only thing they invented in newcastle was the dye for police uniforms from urine

bwDraco

Pretty sure Intel's strong-armed motherboard manufacturers to remove this feature.

The alternative would potentially cost them their whole contract to manufacture and sell motherboards with Intel chipsets.

DavidPostill

@Burgi And Newcastle Brown Ale ;)

qasdfdsaq

Only thing they invented in Manchester was knife crime?

bwDraco

In addition, it's likely the motherboard makers can't counter this because they are already violating their agreements with Intel by enabling overclocking on non-K parts.

Burgi

3:56 PM

isn't that made in sunderland for the ultimate irony?

qasdfdsaq

So one set of Galaxy S7 rumours says it's waterproof, the other set claims it has a MicroSD slot with a slide-out tray and no seals.

DavidPostill

27 Excellent Things Manchester Gave The World
http://www.buzzfeed.com/danmartin/27-excellent-things-manchester-gave-the-world

Burgi

@qasdfdsaq the industrial revolution and the first computer

qasdfdsaq

Burgi

the first intercity locomotive was from liverpool to manchester

bwDraco

3:59 PM

So I don't think it's likely that motherboard manufacturers have any legal recourse whatsoever.

"If you fail to release this microcode update or remove any previous versions of the microcode or BIOS/UEFI firmware that enable overclocking on non-K processor SKUs, we will terminate your license to manufacture motherboards with Intel chipsets."

Burgi

"good luck selling your chips without support"

qasdfdsaq

Funny how an odd jibe about a woman's attractiveness will get me flagged and blow the channel up but openly criticizing the entire population of Manchester seems to be totally fine

@bwDraco And this is why we need AMD to become competitive again.

Burgi

i think we all know it is a good natured jibe

i think we all know that everyone would band together against a southerner

qasdfdsaq

Damn right

DavidPostill

Insulting Manchester is not the same as commenting about a particular person.

I don't think Manchester will get upset about what you say here ;)

qasdfdsaq

4:05 PM

"XYZ > You" is bad but "XYZ > ALL 0.5 MILLION OF YOU" IS FINE?00

Whoa, fact check there. Manchester has a populatoin of 2.5 million?!

bwDraco

"In addition, we may pursue legal action to recover damages due to your violation of the [Intel chipset/motherboard agreement]."

qasdfdsaq

That can't be right, that's more than Birmingham.

DavidPostill

I think I will flag you for being sexist. You should have said Personchester ;)

qasdfdsaq

Right, so sexism is bad, but Manchester-ism is OK because women deserve respect but Mancunians don't?

Burgi

Personchester is well fit! phwoar!

bwDraco

4:07 PM

Contract likely contains text substantially similar to the following:

> You agree not to release any Firmware, Microcode, or other functionality which enables the operation of any Intel Processor not designated with the "K" suffix otherwise outside of its specification, including operation in excess of its specified clock frequency.

qasdfdsaq

You know who's well fit phwoar?

Faheem Mitha

@qasdfdsaq Either the cast of Glee or a Boy Band.

Burgi

i think you are being overly bitter and resentful over something that most people would have moved on from by now

Faheem Mitha

Unfortunately search engines aren't yet at the point where they can identify images.

For that, we need to wait for Skynet.

qasdfdsaq

@FaheemMitha Uhh

bwDraco

4:12 PM

@FaheemMitha We're getting there, though.

Try Google Search by Image.

qasdfdsaq

@FaheemMitha We've had that for ages

Right click => Search Google for this image.

bwDraco

That's Chrome-specific.

Faheem Mitha

Ok, now I'm scared.

bwDraco

For users of other browsers, you can simply drag an image into the Google Images search box.

I've been using this feature for ages.

Faheem Mitha

I don't know who Robbie Williams is, though.

There seem to be an awful lot of show business folks around. I wonder who watches all this stuff.

bwDraco

4:15 PM

> You agree not to release any Firmware, Microcode, or other functionality which enables the operation of any non-Unlocked Intel Processor outside of its published specifications, including operation in excess of its specified clock frequency.

...and the contract defines an Unlocked Intel Processor as one that has the model number suffixes K, X, or C, or any other processor so designated by Intel at its discretion.

Faheem Mitha

This is getting annoying. I really need to figure out a good way to get around my ISPs idiotic blocks.

bwDraco

Never mind—this is a legal restriction in your jurisdiction.

qasdfdsaq

@FaheemMitha Skynet? The NSA’s SKYNET program may be killing thousands of innocent people

Skynet kills people.

bwDraco

Internet censorship in India

Internet censorship in India is selectively practiced by both federal and state governments. While there is no sustained government policy or strategy to block access to Internet content on a large scale, measures for removing content have become more common in recent years. However, websites blocked either by the government or Internet service providers can often be accessed through proxy servers (see Internet censorship circumvention). == Overview == === OpenNet Initiative report === The OpenNet Initiative classified India as engaged in "selective" Internet filtering in the political,...

qasdfdsaq

India censors Google?

Faheem Mitha

4:19 PM

@qasdfdsaq Dunno. Maybe. Were you asking me?

If it exists, it's not very large scale or systematic.

qasdfdsaq

Are we assuming he's indian because he has the name Faheem? That's racist.

Faheem Mitha

Heh.

@qasdfdsaq You're funny.

qasdfdsaq

@FaheemMitha Well bwDraco says you can't use Google apparently because Internet censorhip in India.

Faheem Mitha

@qasdfdsaq Um, no.

I can use Google just fine.

But they do block other stuff.

@bwDraco What isn't exactly uncommon?

qasdfdsaq

Do they block bad boy bands from the 90's?

Faheem Mitha

4:21 PM

@qasdfdsaq Probably not.

bwDraco

Never mind.

qasdfdsaq

bwDraco

techpowerup.com/forums/threads/…

Faheem Mitha

They're very concerned about porn in India. An out of control population, major ecological problems, lack of basic sanitation facilities or potable water, extreme corruption, an incompetent government bureaucracy etc. etc. isn't something to be concerned about, though.

2

bwDraco

> Same thing happened with the ASRock H87 board in my HTPC. Intel told them to cease and desist, pull the old BIOS, and "oh, btw, here's a new one you'll make available."

@FaheemMitha Human nature makes fixing this virtually impossible. After all, absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Faheem Mitha

4:26 PM

@bwDraco I don't follow. Fixing what?

bwDraco

@FaheemMitha The tendency, among other things, that people in power will exploit those below them for their personal gain.

qasdfdsaq

bwDraco

I'm going to stop short of saying that this is theoretically impossible, though, but I don't think this is something any ordinary person can do.

Faheem Mitha

@bwDraco Ah. Well, all countries are corrupt to some extent. It's a question of degree.

But accepting it as a law of nature isn't a good idea.

bwDraco

It takes incredible willpower to continue to do the right thing as you move up in society. Most will just succumb to the call of the Devil (so to speak).

Faheem Mitha

4:29 PM

I'm not very familiar with this porn issue, but it might be a (characteristically stupid) response to India's extreme social problems.

@bwDraco I disagree. You just need to be a decent human being. They do exist, you know.

And even in India, there are public officials that do their job. Otherwise the place would be in even worse shape than it is.

bwDraco

But as I say, always keep that little bit of hope in your heart that the human condition can be better

Jul 28 '15 at 21:22, by DragonLord

Always keep that little bit of hope in your heart that the human condition can be better.

Faheem Mitha

Well, it does. E.g. gay marriage is now legal in many places. This wasn't the case 20 years ago.

bwDraco

Jul 28 '15 at 21:19, by DragonLord

Human psychology makes it practically impossible for someone to not get corrupted in a position of absolute power.

Jul 28 '15 at 21:20, by DragonLord

Not necessarily theoretically impossible, and I'm a firm believer in advancing humanity so that these limitations in human nature need not persist, but this is the way things are.

GFSE

http://gemsfromstackexchange.tumblr.com/post/139489439669
GemsFromStackExchange
Photo

1455726629

qasdfdsaq

The fact that there are better places in the world today suggests that better is certainly possible.

bwDraco

4:34 PM

Well, in Gandhi's words, "we need to be the change we wish to see in the world."

qasdfdsaq

Who is Ghandi and does he have an album with Kanye West yet?

bwDraco

Sorry for blowing the joke. I will step away from the room briefly...

qasdfdsaq

xD

Faheem Mitha

Apparently I missed the joke. Bummer.

bwDraco

Sorry, everyone.

Faheem Mitha

4:40 PM

Anyway, to get back to something resembling a point...

Does anyone have good pointers on getting around web site blocks?

qasdfdsaq

Depends who's blocking what and why

Faheem Mitha

I should research it - I've fiddled around a little bit - but it has not been a high priority thus far.

@qasdfdsaq My ISP. Blocking random sites.

Do the specific sites matter?

qasdfdsaq

Proxy? TOR? VPN?

bwDraco

Be careful, I don't want you arrested (even on immoral grounds)!

Feb 3 at 6:28, by Journeyman Geek

And well , self awareness is why I stop and count to ten before getting the rolled up newspaper of moderation.

This is why I stepped out.

jokerdino

@bwDraco That sounds like a MJ song.

bwDraco

4:43 PM

Feb 3 at 6:29, by bwDraco

This is the one coping step I fail to take—the one that ruins me.

DavidPostill

@bwDraco It worked this time! Keep it up ;)

bwDraco

lol, thanks.

I'm just trying my best to stop incidents before they happen.

qasdfdsaq

The fox picture should always calm you down

Faheem Mitha

I've no idea what you guys are talking about.

bwDraco

@FaheemMitha Long story short, I've had a long history of being temperamental here.

Faheem Mitha

4:47 PM

@bwDraco Oh. Well, it happens to the best of us.

And a better Gandhi quote is: (something like) "you can't do much to improve things, but it is very important that you do it."

bwDraco

I've been working on this for many, many years and I'm pretty sure this can be definitively fixed by the end of 2016.

Faheem Mitha

If anyone knows the precise quote, please share.

bwDraco

> Whatever you do in life will be insignificant. but it is very important that you do it.

Faheem Mitha

@bwDraco Yes, that's the one. There seems to be an expanded version here:

qasdfdsaq

Sathya

4:50 PM

hey guys, need some help

I just got a 50M up/down fibre connection

qasdfdsaq

Although there's no actual attribution of it to Gandhi

Faheem Mitha

Never mind. It appears to be commentary on the quote.

Sathya

if I plug the wire from the cable to my PC, I get 50m up/down

Faheem Mitha

@qasdfdsaq Attribution is always tricky.

bwDraco

7 mins ago, by DavidPostill

@bwDraco It worked this time! Keep it up ;)

Sathya

4:52 PM

but if I connect it to my wifi router, and then connect from router to PC, I'm getting only 7m upload

bwDraco

(cc @JourneymanGeek)

Sathya

any ideas where the bottleneck is?

the pc is connected to router via LAN, not wifi

qasdfdsaq

Your WiFi router

Sathya

11 secs ago, by Sathya

the pc is connected to router via LAN, not wifi

bwDraco

@Sathya Faulty switch?

Sathya

4:53 PM

@bwDraco pc - router - fibre connection

bwDraco

The Ethernet switch built into these routers can go bad over time. I've seen it happen.

qasdfdsaq

I haven't.

Sathya

it doesn't seem to affect my DSL line

bwDraco

Contact your ISP—there might be throttling based on the device connected to the gateway.

(Not an issue here as local ISP Time Warner Cable only needs the MAC address of the modem proper, which we own. Not sure how things work on your ISP or service.)

Faheem Mitha

The NSA actually has a program called Skynet? That's a very bad joke, if true.

qasdfdsaq

5:01 PM

@FaheemMitha Yep. So, the NSA Has an Actual Skynet Program

bwDraco

Oct 15 '15 at 19:01, by DragonLord

In essence, because Firefox is the only major browser to continue to use a single-process model, Firefox is obsolete!

For some reason, I'm finding this funny.

E10s is almost ready at this point.

Sathya

when it's broken, hard reset it :|

qasdfdsaq

Uhu.

Sathya

that has corrected

qasdfdsaq

"Coming soon"... Since 2008

Sathya

5:15 PM

speedtest.net/my-result/5094218557

thanks for the help :D

bwDraco

3

Q: Simultaneous voice and cellular data on the iPhone 6S Plus on Verizon

Problem: When the phone rings (regardless of whether I pick up or not, and regardless of whether it's a VoLTE or CDMA call), I lose Internet access over the cellular network (regardless of whether it's 2G, 3G or 4G LTE). I don't have a landline Internet at home, so "use WiFi" is not a solution to...

iphone cellular-data voice iphone-6s-plus

You've got to be kidding.

You still cannot talk and surf at the same time on Verizon?!

Wow. VoLTE is still so finicky.

qasdfdsaq

VoLTE isn't finicky, it's just not working at all.

2G doesn't support and has never supported simultaneous voice and data, 3G WCDMA does (with few limitations), dunno about that proprietary US stuff.

DavidPostill

@bwDraco "Multiprocess Firefox is currently enabled by default in Developer Edition builds."

bwDraco

I already said that:

10 mins ago, by bwDraco

E10s is almost ready at this point.

It's going through testing at this point.

DavidPostill

@bwDraco I don't know what E10s is :/

bwDraco

5:24 PM

@DavidPostill Electrolysis, the project for multiprocess Firefox.

HackToHell

Electrolysis, per tab process

DavidPostill

Yes, I just saw that on the page I quoted from :/

bwDraco

@qasdfdsaq GSM has never suffered from this limitation. GSM networks use the same bands for voice and data, unlike CDMA2000.

8

Q: Do 3G and phone calls(gsm) use the same antenna in a mobile phone?

When I disable "3G or EDGE" (cellular data) connection from my smart phone's settings, I can still make a phone call. Do phone calls and cellular data use different antennas and frequencies in a mobile phone? Or it is just an inner arrangement? I mean do the cellular voice and data networks u...

cellphone mobile

qasdfdsaq

@bwDraco GSM has always suffered from this limitation. No major GSM network has ever supported simultaneous voice and data.

bwDraco

Uh, what?

AT&T's iPhone has always allowed simultaneous voice and data.

qasdfdsaq

5:26 PM

GSM DTM wasn't even invented till the late 2000's.

bwDraco

So has T-Mobile's.

This is a limitation in 1xEV-DO, at least (Wikipedia):

> EV-DO is not designed for voice, and requires a fallback to 1xRTT when a voice call is placed or received.

qasdfdsaq

Ermm, no.

bwDraco

1xEV-DO itself simply does not support voice.

qasdfdsaq

Dual Transfer Mode

Dual Transfer Mode (DTM) is a protocol based on the GSM standard that makes simultaneous transfer of Circuit switched (CS) voice and Packet switched (PS) data over the same radio channel (ARFCN) simpler. Without DTM, the mobile device must be capable of reception and transmission simultaneously (full-duplex) requiring complex and expensive circuitry in the mobile terminal. With DTM this requirement doesn't exist and makes the device implementation simpler and cheaper. DTM is a 3GPP feature introduced in R4 of the specification series. Traditionally, GSM/EDGE device with simultaneous CS/PS capability...

bwDraco

Hmm...

Not all too familiar with the simultaneous voice and data issues on cellular networks, but I always thought that CDMA2000 had no support for it in the absence of VoLTE or multiple cellular radios (expensive, bulky, and power-hungry).

qasdfdsaq

5:31 PM

wireless.att.com/learn/why/technology/…

> Additionally, unlike other wireless technologies, HSPA+, HSPA, and UMTS offer you the ability to make simultaneous voice and data calls. This flexibility lets you use the same phone to speak with someone while also accessing Internet information.

bwDraco

Like I said, CDMA2000 doesn't support simultaneous voice and data. It's just not possible under 1xEV-DO.

qasdfdsaq

Pre-GPRS, the only way to get data at all on GSM was with a voice call

bwDraco

Under LTE on a CDMA network, you need VoLTE to do simultaneous voice and data, lest you need separate radios for the call and data connection.

qasdfdsaq

Yeah, I did say I wasn't familiar with that proprietary US stuff (CDMA200)

Faheem Mitha

So it appears the US govt is using machine learning to decide who to murder. It makes me feel really proud of my statistics degree.

qasdfdsaq

5:33 PM

WCDMA has always supported it (again, with limitations). GSM had technical support with DTM, but this was never widely implemented. LTE doesn't have a CS voice mode anyway.

bwDraco

If you only have access to an LTE data band, you'll get data but you won't be able to make or receive calls at all unless your device supports VoLTE. This is the main reason T-Mobile does not allow phones to access band 12 (Extended Range LTE) until they are certified for it.

qasdfdsaq

Yup. Or you use VoIP.

(This is one of the arguments lots of manufacturers give for not allowing people to select "LTE only" mode in network options)

bwDraco

Issue is that band 12 signals have much longer range and penetrate much deeper into buildings, so there will be a lot of places on the T-Mobile network where band 12 is the only service available.

So unless you drop to roaming (not good) or your phone has VoLTE, you cannot make or receive calls in such service areas.

qasdfdsaq

Yup, pretty much the same as our band 20

Though in our case with WCDMA and GSM on band 8, it's not a huge difference.

Which is why the networks with band 20 LTE but no band 8 assets were the first to deploy VoLTE.

In fact, so far, the only UK network to deploy VoLTE.

three.co.uk/Discover/network/4G-Supervoice

And they call it "4G Super Voice" -_-.

bwDraco

Three of the four major networks here (Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile) have VoLTE. Sprint does not.

We usually call it HD Voice.

qasdfdsaq

5:44 PM

We have 2G/3G HD voice so 4G is called "super voice".

Also spectrum holdings aren't such a huge mess as it is in the US. Which simplifies the need somewhat.

bwDraco

Well, there are 3G implementations of HD voice but they never saw widespread use here.

qasdfdsaq

All our networks have it, some have had it for many years. Again, because our 3G networks are largely homogenous, they've much easier to upgrade.

Between the (original) 5 3G operators, all 5 of them operated on the same band, with two operators later acquiring a second band. Hence, pretty much requiring only one, at most two radio layers across the entire country.

There's no overlap between LTE and 3G on any of our networks either, they're all on entirely separate bands.

Simples.

Most networks here are also concentrating on rolling out LTE on only one single band, at most two.

bwDraco

We have LTE on a whole bunch of different bands, in an attempt to get as much capacity as possible.

Verizon's network has had trouble with severe congestion in the New York metro area.

T-Mobile, despite having the least coverage, boasts of much higher data capacity per capita and is generally free of these congestion issues.

(This is also why they can be so aggressive with data pricing. They have far more data to give out to each user.)

The coverage gap between T-Mobile and Verizon/AT&T, however, is closing fast.

On T-Mobile, where you can get service, you'll typically get excellent LTE speeds. Verizon has the best coverage but tends to suffer from congestion in busier areas. AT&T falls in between the two.

Ironically, T-Mobile actually bought band 12 from Verizon.

> T-Mobile customers in and around New York City have been using an average of 2.6 GB of data per month with average download speeds of 22.2 Mbps − faster than AT&T and Verizon and more than two times faster than Sprint’s network speeds.

newsroom.t-mobile.com/news/…

2.6 GB per month. Not bad at all.

As far as I know, AT&T and Verizon customers use a lot less data on average. Pricing is a major factor.

Again, T-Mobile is able to price data very aggressively because of their higher data capacity per capita.

Suffice it to say that the typical customer on other networks uses less than 2 GB of data per month. verizonwireless.com/mobile-living/network-and-plans/…

I'd probably need 500 MB to 1 GB with the occasional large burst.

> Customers with Verizon Wireless data devices average between 1 and 2 GB of data per month for each device. Yes, less than 2 GB per device.

qasdfdsaq

6:06 PM

Yeah the cheaper data pricing in the UK goes a long way to explaining our higher usage. Average is about 2.5GB on 3G networks and close to 5GB on 4G networks

Blog bot

How Stack Overflow Does Technical Interviews

Matt Sherman on February 17, 2016

Spoiler alert: It’s hard! Here’s what we’ve learned.

Stack Overflow: The Architecture - 2016 Edition

Nick Craver on February 17, 2016

The first in a long series of posts on Stack Overflow’s architecture.

bwDraco

With less stringent restrictions on data usage (e.g. reserving Wi-Fi only for large downloads), I could reasonably expect to use 2-3 GB a month or more on average.

qasdfdsaq

We get about 20-50GB of data allowance and unlimited everything else for less than $100.

bwDraco

T-Mobile offers 10 GB of data (plus Data Stash for unused data) for $80 a month on a single line.

Data Stash holds up to 20 GB of data for up to 12 months. It is used after the main data allowance is used up but is itself consumed oldest first.

Detailed information here: support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-20352

qasdfdsaq

We get 10GB for about $50, one network sells unlimited for $50. Both include free handsets (yeah, our handset subsidies are much higher too)

bwDraco

6:21 PM

There is a special offer on T-Mobile: four lines with unlimited data for $150 a month.

(Note that past 25 GB of usage in a billing cycle on T-Mobile, you may notice slower speeds due to deprioritization under congested conditions, but it doesn't drop to 2G EDGE speeds the way running out of data normally would on T-Mobile.)

bwDraco

6:43 PM

The biggest issue is that building out cellular networks at scale in the US is much more difficult and expensive than in other countries.

Meeting the demand for high-speed data is insanely expensive.

In the UK, there's much less area to build out the network for.

The population density is higher.

There isn't as much a need to cover remote areas with few or no users as there is in the US.

qasdfdsaq

The bureaucracy and red tape is higher too.

Actually the networks have license obligations to cover remote areas with few or no users.

GFSE

GemsFromStackExchange: With a score of +1/-17, there is at least one other person who...

posted on February 17, 2016

With a score of +1/-17, there is at least one other person who thinks it’s a good idea.

bwDraco

Yep. Spectrum is expensive here, and there's more sparse area to cover here in the US.

A larger proportion of the US is sparse in population than in the UK.

qasdfdsaq

What's odd, is the US has more spectrum, more competition, and higher costs, but still end up with lower speeds and allowances.

bwDraco

Germany suffers from similar issues. fiercewireless.com/europe/story/…

Faheem Mitha

6:55 PM

There's a VDSL option available which is similar in price to my current DSL plan. The price is very similar. How upstream and downstream speeds are better. DSL is 8Mbps/2Mbps vs VDSL 10Mbps/5Mbps. Is it worth switching? I guess I'd need to get a new modem.

The ISP is MTNL Mumbai.

bwDraco

7:31 PM

Dammit. I've lost power. I'm falling back to LTE.

Appears there was a brief power glitch. Cable modem took a while to recover.

Wi-Fi is up and running again.

It was brief enough that not every device had shut down. My printer and router operated through the glitch.

My laptop's AC adapter dropped the load, though, and I had to unplug it and plug it back in to restore normal operation.

As a precaution, I'm recharging my mobile devices and main power bank (which was drained to about 35-40%—I try to avoid charging them until I have to go somewhere to extend service life) now.

bwDraco

8:08 PM

0

A: Roccat Kone XTD mouse may spontaneously disconnect when devices attached to the computer are manipulated

Well, it seems my Roccat Tyon is prone to just the same issue, and it happens if there's an electrostatic discharge near the mouse (including simple "static shock" events), even if the ESD is not on the same electrical ground. It appears that the mouse is abnormally sensitive to electromagnetic ...

Wow.

Bad EM shielding.

Took me this long to figure it out.

Psycogeek

do you regularly hold a static charge on your person in your enviroment? which includes how your insulated from gounding (shoes) , the ammount of moisture in the air, fabrics (rugs) that charge it up, and just generally get a freaking shock when touching metal things? Cause that is much like lightning, the discharges are continually passing through wherever they can (air ), even if there is not a fast discharging arc. A person piddling with computers non-stop should have some way to abate

. . . Static

bwDraco

8:29 PM

I'm just laughing non-stop at how this sort of design goof can happen. EMP sensitivity due to bad shielding. Wow. Just wow.

> At this point, I'm wondering how the mouse passed FCC testing...

(The FCC mark is in fact on the bottom of the mouse.)

(@allquixotic, @JourneymanGeek)

Canadian Luke

Anyone else having issues doing a git pull from Github? I keep getting a "Connection timed out" error

bwDraco

8:46 PM

Cannot repro.

@DavidPostill: interesting information: pcgamer.com/…

Feb 7 at 4:28, by bwDraco

> And when luck fails him, Zemalf falls back on his slow and thoughtful playing style, methodically considering every option before making a move. He narrates his Let's Plays the same way, speaking in a deep, calm voice.

The same issue that underpins the incidents I've gone through here.

Your thoughts?

PeeHaa

yo

Would this be on-topic on SU?

-1

Q: FFmpeg encoding to H265

I read that the new H265 is supposed to have around twice the compression efficiency of H264 and supposed files around half the size http://x265.org/hevc-h265/ All of my results trying to encode to H265 give me larger files than H264 from the same source. For H264 I am passing these switches to...