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Re:Not much worry with a source build by rastos1 · 2013-09-08 19:28 · Score: 1 · on Ask Slashdot: Linux Security, In Light of NSA Crypto-Subverting Attacks?

What about this and this ? (Interesting how current media did not bring up that repetition of history)

All the extra faces :) by AHuxley · 2013-09-01 15:23 · Score: 2 · on Facebook To Overhaul Data Use Policy

http://rt.com/news/facebook-profile-picture-recognition-208/
http://www.ibtimes.com/facebook-create-facial-recognition-database-profile-photos-1401665
Welcome to a wonderful facial recognition database for US users (vs privacy issues in Europe).
Try and forget the US government electronic surveillance program.

Re:Pseudoscience debunked? by sabri · 2013-08-31 06:15 · Score: 3, Insightful · on Feds Seek Prison For Man Who Taught How To Beat a Polygraph

No, we are less retarded because I can't think of anything we are doing today that beats the stupidity level of executing people for witchcraft.

How about creating weapons that can remove all life from this planet? How about creating an economy so dependent on fossil fuels that we destroy our children's ability to live on Earth?

And for what it's worth, "we" are still on that level. Many people get executed for witchcraft each year around the world. Source.

Re:Battery drivers by alostpacket · 2013-08-22 03:44 · Score: 1 · on LG Reportedly Working On a Firefox OS Phone

Seems to be rumors for both.

Honestly I think I'd prefer moto, but I will be looking forward to it either way as long as it is not a "phablet"

http://www.ibtimes.com/nexus-5-release-date-coming-latest-rumors-suggest-motorola-manufacturing-lg-still-possibility

(granted, take anything IBT says with a whole lot of salt)

Re:Yeah, that's just what the world needs by Sigma+7 · 2013-08-16 13:24 · Score: 1 · on Aging Is a Disease; Treat It Like One

A relevant question with regard to science is why it is that breakthroughs often comes from young scientists.

That's not guaranteed: Article Breakthrough Discoveries Mostly by Older Scientists, Study Finds says that it used to be the case earlier, but now scientists need more time to finish their work.

I also have a personal opinion, where such young people were in a better position to make breakthroughs - supported by family, no worry about children, in an environment where research and experiment was much easier, etc.

Salary versus compensation by sjbe · 2013-08-13 10:17 · Score: 1 · on Larry Ellison Believes Apple Is Doomed

Jobs got one dollar per year.

He took a *salary* of one dollar. He got paid far more than that. Huge difference. I'd happily take a salary of $1/year in exchange for 5 million shares of Apple stock and a private jet.

video by Anonymous Coward · 2013-08-12 12:27 · Score: 1 · on 20 People Shot With BB Guns At LG G2 Promotional Event

http://www.ibtimes.com/lg-g2-release-goes-wrong-20-people-accidentally-shot-bb-guns-marketing-event-video-1382105

Re:MERS Worldwide apocalypse by c0lo · 2013-08-08 16:02 · Score: 1 · on Camels May Transmit New Middle Eastern Virus

The Haj is coming soon (i believe it will be October). If MERS escapes into the pilgrim population, it will be a global disaster.

* The good news: MERS may not be that bad, human-to-human transmission is low.
* The bad news: there's another one making progress, and this may be the winner between the two.

Take your popcorn, set yourself comfy on the couch and watch (:grin: - it may well be the last time you're doing it)

Re:Tried, didn't work by Tough+Love · 2013-07-27 10:49 · Score: 1 · on Every Public School Student In LA Will Get an iPad In 2014

Wasn't this tried before? The students and teachers found little use for them because they could not interact easily with their PCs with word/excel/email etc.

These days they would interact with Google docs, Wikpedia, etc. Why they need overpriced, proprietary Apple products for that is far from clear.

BTW, a few electrocutions from now maybe people will figure out what's wrong with a solid aluminum case.

Re:"Web forums" by AmiMoJo · 2013-07-26 22:57 · Score: 2 · on UK ISP Filter Will Censor More Than Porn

Looking at the image in TFA it appears that Facebook, MySpace, Instagram, G+, LinkedIn and all the other social networking sites people seem to love will be blocked by default. Presumably very large numbers of people will opt-in to seeing them, and hopefully at the same time untick all the other boxes as well. Unfortunately the fact that their choices are logged will probably discourage them for deselecting everything.

Re:Let's see... by gmuslera · 2013-07-26 06:27 · Score: 1 · on Nokia: Microsoft Must Evolve To Make Windows Phone a Success

Forgot to add made with by a company with deep ties with the NSA. At least for most Android phones you can install alternatives like CyanogenMod, not get stuck with just one (and bad) option.

Nokia had some control on their future with Symbian, Maemo/Meego. They should focus in making their platform as free as possible, maybe still bundling Windows Phone on them, but making available drivers, specifications and so on so a version of CyanogenMod, Ubuntu Touch, Sailfish or others could be developed as alternative OS. Their target should be sell hardware and services, not operating systems.

Except its been seen running 4.3 by tuppe666 · 2013-07-25 17:39 · Score: 1 · on Forget Apple: Samsung Could Be Google's Next Big Rival

http://www.ibtimes.com/android-43-update-nears-samsung-galaxy-s3-leaked-photo-shows-device-running-googles-new-os-1355843 It looks like it will be running 4.3 in future skipping 4.2.2

Sexual Violence Laws by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-11 21:54 · Score: 0, Interesting · on The Pope Criminalizes Leaks

I at least hope their sexual violence laws are gender neutral.
Too many jurisdictions around the world have laws that only consider a sexual offence to be "rape" if it's committed against a woman.

See the recent incident of the under-age father here in New Zealand. From the article:

If the woman is proven guilty, the organization Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse urged legislators that it is about time to revise the country's prevailing rape statute. Under New Zealand law, rape only applies to men, with a maximum jail sentence of 20 years.

But for women found guilty of forcing a male to have sex, they are only slapped with a charge of sexual violation, the maximum sentence of which is 14 years.

The law around Australia is much the same
* sexually violate a female = sexual assault
* sexually violate a male = indecent assault (much lesser crime)

This story is repeated in the US, UK, Europe, etc.

Then again, this discrimination is against males and so it's not on any national agenda. Let's instead focus more on how we can help women.

Re:Harmless? by FriendlyLurker · 2013-07-04 02:34 · Score: 3, Insightful · on EU To Vote On Suspension of Data Sharing With US

Cold fjord (826450) writes "Snowden's handler..." is deceitfully supporting the new official narrative sound bite is that Snowden is a spy as apposed to a whistlblower. This is despite the fact that Snowden fits the very definition of a Whistblower in every respect, with no "grey area" in sight:

How is it anything other than pure whistleblowing to disclose secret documents proving that top government officials have been systematically deceiving the public about vital matters and/or skirting if not violating legal and Constitutional limits?

This narrative is being repeated by US military propaganda machine, which unfortunately also includes most of the worlds mass media corporations (I just watched a EU news presenter refer to Snowden as a spy in the same breath as feigning outrage over EU diplomat spying by the NSA).

It is unfortunate that shill accounts like cold fjord (826450) are being given increasing airtime on slashdot, with a long list of incorrect, misleading, and downright deceitful stories being promoted to the front page in this accounts name (with some infrequent light hearted ones sprinkled I for good cover/measure), all with the same or similar propaganda message. Not to mention the untold number of minion accounts used to harvest and mod up the posts.

My only question is, are the slashdot editors complicit? We have already seen multi million dollar propaganda software is up and running to manage accounts like Cold fjord (826450), what is the slashdot moderation system doing to counter such technological advances?

Re:Why don't you drop the car altogether? by Belial6 · 2013-07-01 17:22 · Score: 1 · on Electric Vehicles Might Not Benefit the Environment After All

For every claim that public transportation, I offer the counter argument. Strikes.

http://www.ibtimes.com/sf-bart-strike-2013-transit-agency-announces-strike-commuters-asked-consider-alternative-1329263#

Read / Write power is God power by WOOFYGOOFY · 2013-06-27 05:14 · Score: 5, Interesting · on Automated Plate Readers Let Police Collect Millions of Records On Drivers

All these databases are used as evidence during criminal investigations... this one... the NSA one etc. etc..

Any political operative with read / write access to these databases can fabricate evidence as they see fit. And it's not just theoretical :

http://www.ibtimes.com/changing-timestamp-mystery-continues-after-texas-abortion-bill-defeat-wendy-davis-filibuster-1324549

If you believe, as I do (and even if you don't ) , that we can't do law enforcement without databases like this, then I submit we have an engineering challenge here.

We need stores of data which are designed to be "evidential" or "purely factual" in nature and once an entry is written, it can't be changed at a later time to have another value. I am using the word database here but I am pretty sure it's more like a "store" .

Is there a one way, write-once technology which is provably tamper proof? Can one be designed?

The scenario I am trying to prevent is the most obvious one where a malefactor, at some possibly distant date after information about their target has been recorded, attempts to change that information to produce a perception or suspicion or even proof of "guilt".

It's not just a theoretical worry. It's not much different than what the Texas legislature attempted to do with its own record yesterday. Seen in a certain way, they attempted to "frame" Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, as having not begun her filibuster in time.

This is benign compared to what a Dick Cheney or Richard Pearle or Donald Rumsfeld type could / would do with some career analysts' whereabouts, phone records etc. etc. who displeased them ala Valerie Plame. Sure, Scooter Libby went to jail for the crime, but I think we all know who he was protecting.

It's not even slightly far fetched and the consequences couldn't be more corrosive to democracy. In fact, just the potential for this kind of manipulation could under the right circumstances lead to a widespread loss of faith in all law enforcement on the part of the general public. That itself is unacceptably corrosive and dangerous to the republic.

So how do we solve this problem so it can't be "unsolved" by some domestic Axis Of Evil ? A running, recorded one way hash on the totality of input seems unworkable , but I am not an expert.....

A friend of the r3VOLution... by cervesaebraciator · 2013-06-09 18:26 · Score: 1 · on NSA WhistleBlower Outs Himself

as well the Bill of Rights. Turns out this guy is a Ron Paul supporter. If you are too, don't bother sending in that resume to the NSA.

Re:Or not by AHuxley · 2013-06-06 15:18 · Score: 1 · on US Mining Data Directly From 9 Silicon Valley Companies

denial, therefore, should carry at least some weight.
At a LEO level ie a fax on department stationary or email is not a court order.
We did get that 2011 BBC Interview with the national security comment :)
http://techcrunch.com/2011/04/13/rim-ceo-flake/
http://www.ibtimes.com/rim-ceo-walks-out-bbc-interview-says-security-question-unfair-279919

DId you get a slice of increased productivity ? by WOOFYGOOFY · 2013-06-04 01:07 · Score: 2 · on Will Users Get a Slice of the "Big Data" Pie?

Productivity of the average American worker went through the roof since 1979:

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2011/06/speedup-americans-working-harder-charts

http://www.ibtimes.com/us-worker-productivity-rising-faster-wage-growth-1114871

Did your inflation-adjusted paycheck? Oh hell no, you're (the average American ) treading water.

http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3220

http://www.businessinsider.com/corporate-profits-just-hit-an-all-time-high-wages-just-hit-an-all-time-low-2012-6

and have been for decades... DECADES

OK then. All this cost savings is pocketed by billionaires , not passed on to you. The ONLY form in which it's ever passed on to ordinary people is at their own expense, e.g. Walmart prices and Walmart

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/06/03/1213437/-What-Walmart-Costs-Taxpayers

http://www.walmarteffectbook.com/

So if you want to realize what any of the productivity gains / cost savings you've worked for and created, start a company, force everyone who works for you be to be part time, steal the benefits of THEIR increase in productivity, lobby your congresspig for tax breaks for the wealthy..... oh and shop at Walmart.

America is a nation of by and for billionaires, who fund our elections, occupy our political offices, write our laws and own our media. They do this for their own benefit and anything which does not effect their personal lives is not *real* and doesn't matter.

http://video.pbs.org/video/2296684923/

So no- it's not for you.

Now get back to work.

Re:Associations, tribalism by CanHasDIY · 2013-05-31 10:19 · Score: 1 · on No, the Tesla Model S Doesn't Pollute More Than an SUV

HA! That's hilarious (and hard for right-wingers to argue with, considering that Murdoch owns the WSJ).

Of course, the part that's not being said is that "liberals" have the exact same reaction when a product is associated with guns or "other labels and slogans that have been associated as belonging to the enemy tribe."

3D printers, for example

Re:US and the Metric System by j-beda · 2013-05-28 07:35 · Score: 1 · on White House: Use Metric If You Want, We Don't Care

http://www.zmescience.com/other/map-of-countries-officially-not-using-the-metric-system/
http://www.ibtimes.com/america-liberia-myanmar-anti-metric-system-holdouts-1109357

There are three countries that are not officially metric: Liberia, Myanmar (formerly Burma), and the USA. Liberia seems to be moving towards full metrification faster than the US, but what would we expect from such a forward thinking nation?

More than a little misleading by spmkk · 2013-05-22 15:34 · Score: -1 · on Tesla Motors Repays $465M Government Loan 9 Years Early

It's not like Tesla has become a profitable company and paid off this loan with the spoils of its success. To date the company has had one profitable quarter, to the tune of $11.2M -- made *entirely* from the sale of ZEV credits (a freebie from the government), not cars.

The only reason that Tesla feels it can afford to sink its investment capital into this PR move is because it learned form the 2008 crash that when car companies say "jump", Washington says "how high?", so it knows it's a safe bet -- i.e. if/when Tesla finds itself in trouble because it overextended to pay off the loan, Uncle Sam will bail it out.

Re:Dang, Canada... by PopeRatzo · 2013-05-22 07:38 · Score: 1 · on The Canadian Government's War On Science

I'll just leave this here:

http://www.ibtimes.com/obama-approval-rating-not-suffering-benghazi-irs-ap-scandals-cnn-poll-1269577

Re:other than Cheney and Rumsfeld by Anonymous Coward · 2013-05-20 06:02 · Score: 0 · on Medical Firm Sues IRS For 4th Amendment Violation In Records Seizure

Nixon was actually right about the war in Vietnam, and extracted the US from it.

You mean the same Nixon that may have committed treason by sabotaging peace talks with Vietnam in 1968, so he could look better for the upcoming election in which he was running, thereby prolonging the war for five more years? That Nixon?

True - & as Mark Twain said: by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-16 02:40 · Score: -1 · on ZDNet Proclaims "Windows: It's Over"

"The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated" (or something along those lines) - others on this page pointed out that Windows IS highly "entrenched" in business, & they're correct...

I.E.-> Windows is part of a highly utilized and widely varied infrastructure (and not just in Windows + Office itself, but also custom vertical applications for business). Then, you also have the gaming market which is UNTOUCHED by anyone else really (other than gaming specific consoles, & even THEN, though I don't have any solid figures onhand here (and I would like to know this though), I'd wager it gives even THOSE a "Run for their Money"...).

* Windows will be fine, once they put back in the option to use an interface we've all been used to since 1995 (including the start button)...

(I personally WISH they would DUMP THE STUPID "RIBBON" INTERFACE PARADIGM TOO, vs. menus... or, again: At least offer an option to use either (in Office as well)).

Seems MS is "getting the drift" on those notes as well for Windows 8.1/Blue -> http://pureinfotech.com/2013/04/15/windows-8-1-boot-to-desktop-skipping-start-screen/ , FINALLY!

(Mr. Ballmer's specifically who NEEDS to know this OR this is going to be the case -> http://slashdot.org/story/08/05/06/0052218/does-ballmer-need-to-go and I've said the same of THAT for years now too unfortunately, but the man doesn't identify well with the product he pedals in NOT being a "techie/coder" as was his predecessor "King Billy" (Mr. Gates, whom I call THAT out of respect, NOT ridicule by any means) DESPITE his "developers, developers, developers" rants - it takes one, to KNOW one in that arena... he isn't, & doesn't... period).

I said this about 5 yrs ago now too, & guess what? It's coming to pass -> http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=543962&cid=23310698 & imo, the ONLY reason he's in the position he is now (and this is nothing personal about the man, as I've heard he's actually decent enough from those who met him in airports) is because of his stock holdings, AND, that his pal Mr. Gates PUT HIM THERE... he has no qualifications other than that!

(Oh, sure: "stock's never been higher" well... that's EASY ENOUGH when you're riding on the wave Mr. Gates started for you! Think of the film with Richard Pryor "the Toy" here... once you've GOT the top spot & HUGE dollars, it's actually TOUGH TO "BLOW IT" in other words... he is though: Proof enough for ME @ least that he needs to be delegated to another area of that corporation... OR, just plain let go - then, we'd also see if he can do it himself, instead of riding King Billy's wave too!).

His peers & FORMER peers there also know it -> http://www.ibtimes.com/steve-ballmer-bashed-former-microsoft-vp-microsofts-ceo-stunting-companys-growth-1030732 or rather, knew it also... to me?

It almost SEEMS like he's attempting to kill Windows ON PURPOSE... I can't see how or WHY deflating a stock on purpose would be good judicious business practice that's ethical (unless you knew that devaluing it was good, so others would 'dump it' as in opposite of a "pump & dump" stock scheme & that you had something "waiting in the wings" that would make MS recover, and you could buy back the stock for PENNIES on the dollar... which wouldn't surprise me either, especially from "businessmen").

Besides, when you come RIGHT DOWN TO IT? Who the HECK is ZDNet? The "Word of God"?? No, by NO means!

APK

P.S.=> Like many have said here as well though - I absolutely KNEW this was coming for the reasons above, & stated it above, in the 2nd link on Mr. Ballmer - & THAT doesn't take

MOD PARENT UP by schneidafunk · 2013-04-04 06:18 · Score: 2 · on New CFAA Could Subject Teens To Jail For Reading Online News

I read the document as well and find no language suggesting anything about TOS violations. In addition, even the summary article was misquoted. It said "if you violate the terms of service on a government website." But I couldn't even find that in the actual draft.

Re:"weed out the naysayers" by jelizondo · 2013-03-31 17:19 · Score: 0 · on Steve Jobs' First Boss: 'Very Few Companies Would Hire Steve, Even Today'

Hesitate no more, citizen!

America is doomed!

You should not forget that Stockman was an insider on D.C., not some crazy wino with a blog.

I worry mightly about the future...

Hope it's going in the new Mac Pro by GlobalEcho · 2013-03-18 09:02 · Score: 3, Interesting · on Next-Gen Intel Chip Brings Big Gains For Floating-Point Apps

I hope there's really a new Mac Pro coming and that it has these chips in it! I do a heck of a lot of PDE solving, statistics and simulations, and would love to have a screamin' machine again.

Re:Headline title is sensational by marsu_k · 2013-03-17 22:21 · Score: 1 · on Microsoft To Abandon Windows Phone?

Can't speak for the S2, but yes, soon the S3 will. Not sure if it will make a huge difference though, as far as I can tell most of the features of 4.2 are either for tablets or have been a part of TouchWiz for like always. (Whether TouchWiz is an abomination or not is another debate - personally, I don't get all the hate, there are some nuisances and some genuine improvements, all in all I don't mind. But I've only used it on a S3, haven't tried the older incarnations.)

Re:Get out by Tailhook · 2013-03-15 13:14 · Score: 5, Informative · on If You're a Foreigner Using GPS In China, You Could Be a Spy

Just get out of China.

But keep sending your food.

And keep sending us your industry.

Oh, your tech too. Keep sending that.

Otherwise, just stay the hell out, round-eye.

Re:Oh, good. by stephanruby · 2013-01-24 12:49 · Score: 1 · on Samsung Amps Up Its Multi-Window Android Upgrade

Unless you write in your manifest that your app supports the multi-window feature, this shouldn't affect you in the least.

Re:Libel? by rjstanford · 2013-01-23 12:03 · Score: 1 · on 'Bankrupt' Australian Surgeon Sues Google For Auto-Complete

As long as there actually are numerous reports. Newspapers do that all the time - the word they like to use is "alleged". Here you go - "Berlusconi’s Alleged Ties To Mafia Again Resurface". Newspapers have been reporting on rumour for a long time. As long as they ensure that they're reporting on other people making the allegations, instead of making the allegations themselves, they're fine.

In this case though, Google is "reporting" that "lots of people searching for him search for his bankruptcy information." They then, through autocomplete, make it very appealing to search for his bankruptcy information even if all you originally wanted to do was to enter his name to find out the phone number for his medical practice. BTW, if you actually do google just his name (ignoring the current topic), you won't find any bankruptcy information until fairly far down the results list.

In the Berlusconi case, it would be as if 6 newspapers owned by the same company all released that article on the same day, all implicitly referring to the article in the other 5 as proof for the "resurface" point.

Re:Libel? by LordLucless · 2013-01-22 23:43 · Score: 1 · on 'Bankrupt' Australian Surgeon Sues Google For Auto-Complete

As long as there actually are numerous reports. Newspapers do that all the time - the word they like to use is "alleged". Here you go - "Berlusconi’s Alleged Ties To Mafia Again Resurface". Newspapers have been reporting on rumour for a long time. As long as they ensure that they're reporting on other people making the allegations, instead of making the allegations themselves, they're fine.

Re:alpha test? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-01-18 09:08 · Score: 0 · on TSA Terminates Its Contract With Maker of Full-Body Scanner

THIS John Hopkins?:
http://www.propublica.org/article/scientists-cast-doubt-on-tsa-tests-of-full-body-scanners
"...the professors note that the Johns Hopkins lab didn't test an actual airport machine. Instead, the tests were done on a model built by the manufacturer, Rapiscan, and configured to resemble a system previously tested by the TSA."

http://www.ibtimes.com/johns-hopkins-unhappy-tsa-shout-out-248340
"The Transportation Security Administration is referencing a Johns Hopkins study on its web site, saying that the full-body x-ray scanners are safe to use. But Johns Hopkins is unhappy with the way that study is being used." ...
"Johns Hopkins says that its study only demonstrates that the radiation dosage is under the limit set by ANSI. A spokeswoman for Johns Hopkins said the people who did the testing were unhappy with the way the TSA characterized the study. The safety of the machines is a somewhat different question, she said.""

http://www.consumertraveler.com/columns/tsa-statements-strain-credibility/
"EPIC also obtained a document written by Johns Hopkins University, which TSA said pronounced their full body scanners safe, but didn’t. According to the Executive Summary of the report from Johns Hopkins, their tests, in fact, revealed safety concerns about the AIT units.

“An area exists above each of the units, due to primary beam overshoot, where the 100 mrem per year general public dose limit could potentially be exceeded

It is recommended that a survey of each installation site be conducted or a beam stop be considered to ensure that the dose to any member of the general public is maintained below the 100 mrem (0.1 rem) per year general public limit ”

To date there is no information I can find that either of Johns Hopkins’ recommendations were followed by TSA."

and

"Dr. Michael Love, who runs an x-ray laboratory at the Department of Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine states, “They say the risk is minimal, but statistically someone is going to get skin cancer from these [backscatter] x-rays.”" ...THAT John Hopkins???

Re:Need better security by AvitarX · 2013-01-17 06:57 · Score: 1 · on New Phishing Toolkit Uses Whitelisting To 'Bounce' Non-Victims

According to the first paragraph in my link there's 26,000,000 mobile bank users in the US (I'm using this, the lowest possible valid number of account holders for this, as fewer people for same fraud means more fraud/person). I got this number by assuming 200,000,000 total account holders (108,000,000 x 2 approximated, as 108,000,000 was 46%, and currently 13% use mobile banking). If we take the US total fraud (approx .5 of 7.6 billion) and the 26 million numbers, we get about $136 per a mobile account holder, if we use the 200,000,000 number (total account holders) we get $17/account holder.

At $136/account holder it's probably worth it, at $17 it's probably not (as you mentioned the largest fraud segment would not be prevented). I think the fact that US banks haven't implemented it on their own says a lot about the over-all cost to value ratio, keep in mind, that in the IS at least, the banks eat almost all of the fraud.

note, this assumes 3.8 Billion in US bank fraud, if it was in the same ballpark of that 86 million number to be fixed I'd say no way.

Links:
http://www.ibtimes.com/mobile-banking-rise-46-us-bank-account-holders-use-service-2017-report-747697
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/04/credit-debit-card-fraud-more-common-banks-lose-ground-hackers_n_994690.html

Re:Ownership AND storage by GameboyRMH · 2013-01-12 01:27 · Score: 1 · on US Near Bottom In Life Expectancy In Developed World

Well that was informative, but I was looking for something that shows how vastly different US and Swiss gun laws are. US gun owners would probably consider Swiss-style gun controls reason for revolt. They include a government gun registry, regulated private sales, safe storage requirements and a total ban on concealed carry and full-auto weapons.

Some good articles I found, but I want something well-referenced since so much bullshit flies from both sides in the debate:

http://world.time.com/2012/12/20/the-swiss-difference-a-gun-culture-that-works/

http://www.ibtimes.com/us-gun-control-debate-what-can-we-learn-switzerland-732104

Re:Nothing related to guns can be considered "smar by LPCalendarGirl · 2013-01-09 17:29 · Score: 1 · on Smart Guns To Stop Mass Killings

"Georgia mom home alone with kids shoots ex-con intruder" http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/01/06/georgia-mom-home-alone-with-kids-shoots-ex-con-intruder/ Another article, jump to the end to read about an 18 year old single mom in mobile home shooting intruder days after her husband died on Christmas. http://www.ibtimes.com/mom-shoots-intruder-five-times-days-after-single-mom-kills-burglar-protect-her-infant-995578

Re:Can't America get its acts together ? by Kwyj1b0 · 2013-01-07 16:43 · Score: 4, Insightful · on Congressman Introduces Bill To Ban Minting of Trillion-Dollar Coin

The people in the middle (like me, and mine) get just about nothing from the government.

Let me guess: you live in isolation, using no roads, no government subsidized infrastructure, went to a private school (again, in the middle of nowhere), have enough ammo to keep yourself and your family safe, wouldn't ever call the fire department, don't rely on any offshoot of government research, etc.

I don't deny that government, like any large organization, has lots of inefficiencies that need to be cut down. And there are people who abuse the system to freeload. But, it isn't easy to live off food stamps, as one politician found out. And if people really start starving, there will be problems. The social safety nets exist not just for the poor, but they also benefit others higher up in the food chain (see how desperate a hungry man can be to survive).

If you have any solutions to really cut down inefficiencies and freeloaders, while making sure people who need help can get it, then I'm all ears. But this mantra of cut them out of the government teat and we will all be better off might not work as well as you'd expect.

Re:Wow by Anonymous Coward · 2013-01-02 07:32 · Score: 1 · on TSMC Preparing To Manufacturer A6X Chip As Apple Looks to Ditch Samsung

Or Maybe not. http://www.ibtimes.com/new-ipad-a5x-chip-versus-nvidia-tegra-3-which-better-performance-and-graphics-432124 Some snippets for you:

When LAPTOP Magazine measured raw processing performance, the Transformer Prime firmly came out on top. Tegra 3 blew its competitor [a]way as it achieved an overall score of 1,571 to the A5X's 692, they reported.

Now some of the individual scores were better on the ipad, but it was by no means a terga killer. Please, please please would everyone stop beating the drum of their favorite device and actually pay attention to what the facts are?

Designed for browsing on a phone by tuppe666 · 2012-12-29 10:37 · Score: 3, Insightful · on The L.A. Times Names Its Favorite Flops of the Year

There is no shortage of these lists.
International Buisness Times http://www.ibtimes.com/biggest-tech-flops-2012-top-5-failures-facebook-ipo-microsoft-surface-977488
Think Digit http://www.thinkdigit.com/General/The-5-biggest-tech-failures-of-2012_11866.html
Read Write http://readwrite.com/2012/12/14/top-10-epic-tech-gadget-failures ...
Why pick the one that is designed for a tablet..or one that doesn't mention Windows 8; Windows Phone 8...or Surface.

Re:A Jingoistic Sentiment by Simon+Brooke · 2012-12-20 21:36 · Score: 5, Funny · on DARPA's Headless Robotic Mule Takes Load Off Warfighters

Many of the the superstitious, ill-educated tribesmen that U.S. ground troops regularly encounter already think the Americans are witches.

Given that the US is about the most superstitious, ill-educated nation on the face of the Earth, that's a bit ripe. But then, of course, you famously don't do irony.

Now that the app is approved in the App Store... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-12-16 13:39 · Score: 0 · on Google Map App's Version of Anonymity Might Violate EU Privacy Laws

...did anyone remembers the Google FUD piece just a month ago saying that "the chances of Apple approving a dedicated Google Maps app on iOS 6 are 'not optimistic.' "?

Nobody? Thought so.

So, what? by unixguy98 · 2012-12-10 08:27 · Score: 1 · on Playstation Controller Runs Syrian Rebel Tank

So, what? They are good terrorists? Rebels torture pro-Assad people, kill them by hundreds of Ak-47 bullets. Watch this please. Considering active position of Al-Qaeda between rebels, they're far from being guys who deserve sympathy.
They even have Stinger missiles, so pretending their firepower comes from garbages in junkyard and playstations morphed into next generation warefare is total hypocrisy. Let's hope CIA does not create another Taliban, this time in Syria.

I tried these keywords? by tepples · 2012-12-07 02:55 · Score: 1 · on Richard Stallman: 'Apple Has Tightest Digital Handcuffs In History'

Anonymous Coward wrote:

Why do you persist in asking stupid questions that are answered in the affirmative with five seconds of Google work?

I went to Google, typed in iphone 5 jailbreak, and got pages like "genuine progress being made". And I went to Google and typed in ipad jailbreak legality and got this page distinguishing tablets, which don't have a DMCA exemption, from phones, which do. What keywords did you end up typing?

Re:Hmm... by icebike · 2012-11-30 05:55 · Score: 2 · on Inside an Amazon Warehouse

Very easy to teach to someone, very easy to learn. You just better have some good running legs :)

I suspect that they don't run too far.

Seems unlikely they would pick an entire order, just the parts near their station.
Then they plop the tagged bin onto the conveyor which sends all the bins of a given order to a common location for boxing.

I'm guessing they get pick sheets for multiple orders at once (looking at the pictures seems to suggest they are picking into multiple bins in push carts) and the pick sheets are arranged in "elevator seeking" order so they can complete one planned circuit through their area, ending at the conveyor. Rinse Repeat.

As long as the person stocking the floor codes it into the computer correctly, there is little chance of losing anything. They probably arrange things more for the size and shape of the shelving and pick-bins used in a given floor section than anything else. Tiny parts in small drawers. All the books in a given area. Big items somewhere else. Looking at the pictures seems to confirm this.