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Re:There is already a list of ... by teamhasnoi · 2002-08-26 05:52 · Score: 2 · on Police Database Lists 'Future Criminals'

You might also want to try Here, Here and...
OMG!
Here! They're planning something right now!

Good Riddance by limekiller4 · 2002-08-25 09:01 · Score: 1 · on How Could TV Survive Without Commercials?

First, because this looks so much like one, let me state emphatically that this is not a troll.

My response is good, let it die.

Video games can teach strategy, creative thinking, teamwork, etc. At least they're interactive, require input, feedback. I've no problem at all with those. Television is nothing more than thought-control on a large scale. Let's see, what's on CNN today...

Murder of two girls (affects two families).
A snip about earth summit protestors (what they're protesting will be a foregone conclusion in a year).
Scientist blasts Ashcroft (non-issue).
Franks backs Afghan Probe (hey, we're doing something! No, nothing will come of it. I'll take bets if someone is offering.)
Priestly was released from the hospital.

By UN estimates, 1,500,000 million kids have died due to our embargo on Iraq -- which hasn't even so much as scratched our target, Saddaam -- and Dubya is quite eager to provide us with Part Deux at a cost of 80 billion. Oh, right, almost forgot -- defense budget for 2003 is 773 billion even without this added expense, while eduction is only slated for 50B.

And that's just my rant about the news and it's capacity to turn us into the most hated, docile pricks on the planet. So what about prime-time TV, sitcoms, et al? For that, I can only point to televisions well-documented narcotic-like effects. Wake, work, watch, consume, die. No thanks. Besides, I'd like to live my life instead of living some voyeuristic jackoff existence watching someone else's idea of what it should be like.

The end of TV as we know it? Good. It doesn't help us, it doesn't teach us, it doesn't make us better, it's damaging. There are few things I would want more than to have every television go blank, permanently. So the idea of the biggies losing their revenue stream? Doesn't phase me. You'd be amazed at the looks I get when I tell people I haven't watched since 1994. Some think I'm nuts. Others will actually tell me I'm nuts. So take the thing, bring it someplace safe, and light the !@#$ing thing on fire.

The fact that you won't is the lynchpin in my argument.

Blatant Karma Whoreing by BlueFashoo · 2002-08-16 12:33 · Score: 1 · on A Look Into National ID Cards

Office of Homeland Security

Re:Thanks for trying by neocon · 2002-08-13 06:48 · Score: 1 · on Doctorow on the Demise of the Digital Hub

Hmm, I see. So in your view, rather than having a democratic republic, we should pick our president based on the Bizzaro-World fantasies of an AC?

Interesting...

And yes, I have heard President Bush speak, quite clearly, about the coming war with Iraq and other matters. Have you?

Re:With due respect to /.ed TidBITS... by Anonymous Coward · 2002-08-13 04:46 · Score: 0 · on Doctorow on the Demise of the Digital Hub

Maybe if the majority of the world wouldn't tolerate kleptocratic warlords they wouldn't be starving!

Maybe these people ought to wise up!

Re:Jon Johansen's Age by janda · 2002-08-06 16:12 · Score: 1 · on Jon Johansen DVD Trial Date Set

A jpeg viewer does nothing more then read data, manipulate it, and send it to the video subsystem.

DeCSS does nothing more then read data, manipulate it, and send it to the video subsystem.

Is it legal to use a jpeg viewer against the White House? Yes.

Is it legal to use a jpeg viewer against top-secret, confidential documents help by the CIA? No.

If I purchase a DVD, I should be able to do anything I want to with it; decode it, burn it, watch it, flush it down the toilet, give it (and any copies) to a retirement home, you name it.

( .hj by Anonymous Coward · 2002-07-31 18:56 · Score: -1, Offtopic · on Matchbox -- a Small Footprint Window Manager

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Re:Palermo scale by guttentag · 2002-07-23 15:35 · Score: 2 · on A Rock Moves In Space

Can you just give it to us in plain English? All we need to know is what color Palermo 0.06 and Torino 2 translate into on the Ridgean Homeland Security Advisory Scale. Please try to be precise, no "bluish-green" or "reddish-blue" answers.

Re:Not So Bad by m_evanchik · 2002-07-20 11:43 · Score: 2 · on Sybase Advertises 'PATRIOTcompliance'

For all the money the federal government spends, it is widely dispersed and little of it is discretionary.

For a somewhat detailed accounting of the federal budget, go here or here.

For a bird's eye view, go here

Of that 2 thousand thousand thousand thousand dollars, about 30 thousand thousand thousand dollars can go under the general heading of "administration of justice".

So there are not unlimited funds available.

Just look at the case against Lindh. Here was a guy, caught red-handed fighting for the Taliban. THe Attorney General publically villifies him, and the Justice department has to settle for a plea bargain on technicalities.

The government has great power and there is potential for abuse of that power, but it is nowhere near omnipotent.

Re:Not So Bad by m_evanchik · 2002-07-20 11:43 · Score: 2 · on Sybase Advertises 'PATRIOTcompliance'

For all the money the federal government spends, it is widely dispersed and little of it is discretionary.

For a somewhat detailed accounting of the federal budget, go here or here.

For a bird's eye view, go here

Of that 2 thousand thousand thousand thousand dollars, about 30 thousand thousand thousand dollars can go under the general heading of "administration of justice".

So there are not unlimited funds available.

Just look at the case against Lindh. Here was a guy, caught red-handed fighting for the Taliban. THe Attorney General publically villifies him, and the Justice department has to settle for a plea bargain on technicalities.

The government has great power and there is potential for abuse of that power, but it is nowhere near omnipotent.

Re:slowly but surely... by Anonymous Coward · 2002-07-18 15:38 · Score: 0 · on John Gilmore Sues Ashcroft et al. for Freedom to Travel

The state of emergency has been continually renewed since, what, the '30s?

When Dubya gave the commencement speech (shouldn't they at least get someone literate for that?) at Ohio State, the audience was warned that anyone turning their back would be arrested and expelled. Not for interrupting the speech, mind you, merely for failing to worship the Resident.

Dubya is king. A President would not only have been elected but would keep their oath to uphold the Constitution.

1984 now available by Anonymous Coward · 2002-07-17 08:41 · Score: 0 · on MIT Technology Review on Where Orwell Went Wrong

Get your telescreens at any high street store in association with
Big Blunkett plc. You may also like to visit the anti-sex league ,the Ministry of Peace and the Ministry of Truth.

The next Ask Slashdot... by Kredal · 2002-07-12 05:56 · Score: 2 · on More on Orbital Space Debris

Electronic warfare in Afghanistan?
Posted by Kredal on Friday July 12, @01:45PM
from the c64s-in-the-middle-east dept.
g-w-bush asks: "I've been asked to come up with a plan to take out the bad men living in caves, and making sure they can't get to the internet. Does anyone know how I can best take care of this? I'd love to be able to tell those Generals that I'm actually smart, but I need your help. Email your suggestions to me"

The next Ask Slashdot... by Kredal · 2002-07-12 05:56 · Score: 2 · on More on Orbital Space Debris

Electronic warfare in Afghanistan?
Posted by Kredal on Friday July 12, @01:45PM
from the c64s-in-the-middle-east dept.
g-w-bush asks: "I've been asked to come up with a plan to take out the bad men living in caves, and making sure they can't get to the internet. Does anyone know how I can best take care of this? I'd love to be able to tell those Generals that I'm actually smart, but I need your help. Email your suggestions to me"

Re:Always compare with a placebo by RazzleDazzle · 2002-07-11 09:11 · Score: 1 · on Network Intrusion Detection Systems Fail to Impress

Why not go directly to the source? Of course here is an explanation of them all.

Re:Always compare with a placebo by RazzleDazzle · 2002-07-11 09:11 · Score: 1 · on Network Intrusion Detection Systems Fail to Impress

Why not go directly to the source? Of course here is an explanation of them all.

Next on Ask Slashdot by Evro · 2002-07-09 15:00 · Score: 0, Offtopic · on Soda Machines for Geeks?

Posted by EvilCliff on 22:13 Tuesday 09 July 3002
from the its-shrinkage dept.
ari writes: "I woke up this morning and I was out of coffee. This was a real pain in the ass. I had to go to seven eleven in my underwear and en route, I was accosted by a school of fish floating in midair. I really thought I was losing my mind, but cookiemonster assured me I was okay, so I continued on. I then noticed that my penis was exposed. My question is, has this ever happened to anybody, and if so, how did you solve the problem? I'd really prefer an Open Source solution if possible, of course." Penis exposure is a problem for men everywhere. What works for you?

BRITNEY NUDE FUCK, JAPANESE SCAT, NUDE CHILDREN ! by GhostseTroll · 2002-06-22 12:43 · Score: -1 · on Surveying New Wireless Technologies

iMMerse your soUL in LOVE. ...
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Satanosphere || Will This Common Household Object Fit Up My Ass?
... don't even need to mention goatse.cx ... and this is important) A FLARED BASE ... forced in
"deep and really fast." ALL YOUR BROOMSTICK ARE BELONG TO US ...
www.satanosphere.com/story/2001/11/30/112540/ 30 - 3his page, ever, no matter what someone might
tell you. All your base are belong to us!!! Windows XP confuses me... ...
bugzilla.gnome.org/quips.cgi?show_quips=yes - 27k - Cached - Similar pages

Sadsites.com Guestbook
... You are a terrible monster and I pray for your soul. ... 5. 2001, 12:20: E-mail: man@goatse.cx
URL: http://goatse.cx ... ALL YUOR BASE ARE BELONG TO US ...
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MAJESTIC ALLIANCE NEWS CENTERdarkcloud.com/2001may27-jun02.shtml - 32k - Cached - Similar pages

GUESTBOOK
... your base are belong to us. You are on the way to destruction. You have no chance
to survive make your time. Ha ha ha ha. 5/7/02 3:54am. GOATSE.CX, You are all ...
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Subspace
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ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US: Mark Twain
... Post a Followup. Name: E-Mail: Subject: Comments: : http://www.goatse.cx/ : http: //www.comp-u-geek.net/.
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SCROTE.NET - BRITNEY NUDE FUCK, JAPANESE SCAT, NUDE CHILDREN !
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Re:DVD-R formats by GhostseTroll · 2002-06-22 09:55 · Score: -1 · on Time to Purchase a DVD-R?

iMMerse your soUL in LOVE. ...
forums.planetmooncentral.com/cgi/ topic.cgi?forum=12&topic=28 - 37k - Cached - Similar pages

Satanosphere || Will This Common Household Object Fit Up My Ass?
... don't even need to mention goatse.cx ... and this is important) A FLARED BASE ... forced in
"deep and really fast." ALL YOUR BROOMSTICK ARE BELONG TO US ...
www.satanosphere.com/story/2001/11/30/112540/ 30 - 3his page, ever, no matter what someone might
tell you. All your base are belong to us!!! Windows XP confuses me... ...
bugzilla.gnome.org/quips.cgi?show_quips=yes - 27k - Cached - Similar pages

Sadsites.com Guestbook
... You are a terrible monster and I pray for your soul. ... 5. 2001, 12:20: E-mail: man@goatse.cx
URL: http://goatse.cx ... ALL YUOR BASE ARE BELONG TO US ...
www.sadsites.com/cgi-bin/guestbook.cgi?type=v iew - 38k - Cached - Similar pages

MAJESTIC ALLIANCE NEWS CENTERdarkcloud.com/2001may27-jun02.shtml - 32k - Cached - Similar pages

GUESTBOOK
... your base are belong to us. You are on the way to destruction. You have no chance
to survive make your time. Ha ha ha ha. 5/7/02 3:54am. GOATSE.CX, You are all ...
www.freak-grrls.cityslide.com/guestbook/ guestbook.cfm/939736 - 101k - Cached - Similar pages

Subspace
... Honey; Golden Buddha; Muddy River; Bangkok; Pichu; All Your Base Are Bel ong To Us ...
(Press Your Luck); Hallo! ... In Honor of FPCHS Senior Skip Day); Goatse ...
www.geocities.com/edgarfigaro111/subspace.htm l - 7k - Cached - Similar pages

ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US: Mark Twain
... Post a Followup. Name: E-Mail: Subject: Comments: : http://www.goatse.cx/ : http://www.comp-u-geek.net/.
Optional Link URL: Link Title: Optional Image Uambook.com/thacount/thacount.html - 33k - Cached - Similar pages

SCROTE.NET - BRITNEY NUDE FUCK, JAPANESE SCAT, NUDE CHILDREN !
... Goatse.cx will soon take over as the ridiculous internet trend. ... If you found the
whole All your base are belong to us thing funny, then ...
www.scrote.net/mar15.htm - 63k - Cached - Similar pages

Slipknot News: Getting News Leeched Since March 2000
... Pornographic or gory pictures belong ... Also, we do not base ... to play safe to all ... link
redirecting to Goatse.cx ... the redirected link and your ... Yes, that gives us a ...
www.slipknotnews.com/Pages/rules.html - 39k - Cached - Similar pages

Re:The G8 Summit. by muonzoo · 2002-06-22 09:46 · Score: 2, Funny · on Canadian Government to Jam Radio Signals

Er, which capital city are you thinking of?

There isn't even a city where the G8 is officially being held (Kananaskis) and Calgary is neither a federal nor a provincial capital.

Toronto, is not Canada's capital either.

Ottawa holds that dubious honour. Toronto just thinks it's the captial of Canada and, of course, many people around the world get fooled.

For good time, you can always check what our southern neighbours think about us.

Is this really an appropriate request? by rkent · 2002-06-04 05:31 · Score: 4, Insightful · on U.S. Asked to Put Purchasing Power to Good Use

"Today Ralph Nader and I wrote U.S. Office of Management and Budget Director Mitch Daniels to ask the federal government to use its power as a big consumer to address competition issues in the market for PC client software.

Um... okay, but is it really the perogative of the OMB to "use its power" that way? According to the OMB's own site, it "evaluates the effectiveness of agency programs, policies, and procedures, assesses competing funding demands among agencies, and sets funding priorities." In other words, it's an executive agency designed to ensure that the US taxpayers get the most bang for their buck, efficiency-wise, not to make political statements about reforming corporate behavior. That said,

These are some of the practices we want OMB to examine: OMB is asked to provide information on federal expenditures for Microsoft products, determine if a software "monoculture" makes the federal government more vulnerable to computer viruses or unauthorized access to federal computers,

... this is still a good idea. Seems like the OMB would be entirely interested in making sure that computers and software bought with fed dollars aren't going to be easily hacked.

and to consider a number of strategies to use the US government's purchasing power to promote competition and make Microsoft behave;

But this, no no no. This is still a judicial matter, and any penalty against MS is going to be determined in court. An executive agency would be way overstepping its bounds here.

OMB is asked to consider if Microsoft should be required (as a matter of procurement policy) to fully disclose the file formats of its office productivity and multimedia programs, so that the data created in such programs could be reliably read by non-Microsoft software

Yargh! But THIS is another good idea. Again, it's in the financial interest of the country to make sure we're not "locked in" to certain contractors who could then baloon their prices. Not that that ever happens...

So basically, I think there are some good ideas here with regard to protecting the federal government's investment in software and making sure they're not going down any paths simply because MS wants them to, but trying to wreck the monopoly just isn't in the charter of the OMB. Sorry.

Open Source Making Government Inroads by Anonymous Coward · 2002-06-04 05:18 · Score: 4, Informative · on U.S. Asked to Put Purchasing Power to Good Use

BBC News reports that IBM has signed a major contract to provide GNU/Linux OS computers to Germany's Interior Ministry, which oversees law enforcement ( IBM signs Linux deal with Germany ). A Microsoft spokeswoman was disconcerted by the news, nonsensically stating that, "Any policy that favours one thing over another isn't helpful." Slashdot ( Germany, IBM Sign Major Linux Deal ).

Kuro5hin has a good story on a new report from Taiwan's official news agency that the goverment is pushing a Software Libre program ( Taiwan to start national plan to push free software ). Not only will the program include software development, but also extensive training and education. Most interesting is that the "national education system will switch to Open Source in order to provide a diverse IT education environment and ensure the people's rights to freedom of information." See also, Slashdot ( Taiwan to Start National Push For Free Software ).

Might Taiwan's initiative be related to a ZDNet News report on some of the difficulties Microsoft's licensing practices are creating in Taiwan ( Taiwan: MS may have violated trade laws )? This issue was discussed in depth on Kuro5hin ( Backlash against Microsoft intensifies in Taiwan; MS investigated for price gouging ).

Governments outside the U.S. are increasingly coming to the realization that it makes little sense to send their taxpayer dollars to Redmond, WA, USA as part of a "Microsoft Tax." Use of open source software not only saves the government money, but also helps to develop an indigenous IT industry.

Will the U.S. government realize the benefits of openness as well? Jamie Love, of the Consumer Project on Technology hopes so. He and Ralph Nader have sent a letter to the Office of Management and Budget encouraging the consideration of various policies that, through software procurement, will address quesions of Microsoft's monopoly as well as other issues ( Procurement policy and competition and security in software markets ). While the letter doesn't specifically recommend the adoption of open source software, it clearly a major aspect to consider.

Below are some of the practices Nader and Love want OMB to examine:

OMB is asked to provide information on federal expenditures for Microsoft products, determine if a software "monoculture" makes the federal government more vulnerable to computer viruses or unauthorized access to federal computers, and to consider a number of strategies to use the US government's purchasing power to promote competition and make Microsoft behave.
OMB is asked to consider if Microsoft should be required (as a matter of procurement policy) to fully disclose the file formats of its office productivity and multimedia programs, so that the data created in such programs could be reliably read by non-Microsoft software.
OMB is asked to consider if it should place a cap of the market share for any one vender of PC client software, and have the size of the cap depend upon Microsoft's willingness to open up its interface information, or port its MS Office products to additional platforms.
OMB is also asked to consider if it would be more efficient to buy code for office productivity products (and release into the public domain), rather than spend billions to lease software.

Ralph Nader said "The federal government spends billions of dollars on software purchases from one company that is continually raising prices, making its products incompatible with previous versions in order to force upgrades, deliberately creating interoperability problems with would-be competitors, and is well known for engaging in many other anticompetitive practices. Would a business that was spending this much money be such a passive consumer? "

James Love said "The US Government could easily solve all of its concerns over the Microsoft's anticompetitive conduct by being a smarter consumer. Taxpayers are spending millions to restrain Microsoft's monopoly, and billions to support the Microsoft monopoly. There needs to be a more coherent strategy."

Copyright (c) 2002 by the Information Society Project. This material may be distributed only subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the Open Publication License, v1.0 or later (the latest version is presently available at http://www.opencontent.org/openpub/). Minor typographical corrections made.

Re:Goverment Surplus??? by fmaxwell · 2002-05-27 10:37 · Score: 2 · on Jumping In On The Lessig / Adkinson Copyright Debate

Here is a portion of the data, but basically it shows that there never was a "surplus" as the federal debt has been increasing ever year since 1957.

You mistake debt for deficit. They are not the same. You may find it embarassing to note that the link that you provided includes a table on page 22 that shows budget surpluses for the years 1998-2001.

While I would have preferred to see the surpluses used to reduce the debt, they were not.

But let's make this simpler. Suppose you are in debt for $10,000. You earn $100,000. Your living expenses are $70,000. You put $30,000 into savings, but do not pay off any of your debt. Your debt actually increases due to the accumulation of interest, bringing your total indebtedness to $11,500.

You would not be "in the red" and would, in fact, have a budgetary surplus, despite your debt increasing.

Re:Goverment Surplus??? by JaguarCro · 2002-05-27 04:28 · Score: 1 · on Jumping In On The Lessig / Adkinson Copyright Debate

The surplus was projected, it didn't exist yet.

Untrue. We had not had deficit spending since 1997.

Ahh, A lie repeated time and again without any source. Well here is your source, The Office of Managment & Budget from the table Historical Tables, Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal Year 2003 (2.1MB .pdf)

Here is a portion of the data, but basically it shows that there never was a "surplus" as the federal debt has been increasing ever year since 1957.

From the Office of Management and Budget

The Gross Federal Debt
7.1--FEDERAL DEBT AT THE END OF YEAR: 1940-2007--Continued
End of Fiscal Year
In Millions of Dollars As Percentages of GDP
Gross Federal Debt

1985 1,817,521
1986 2,120,629
1987 2,346,125
1988 2,601,307
1989 2,868,039
1990 3,206,564
1991 3,598,485
1992 4,002,123
1993 4,351,403
1994 4,643,691
1995 4,921,005
1996 5,181,921
1997 5,369,694
1998 5,478,711
1999 5,606,087
2000 5,629,016
2001 5,770,256

------
Only one party is really looking to reduce this, the Libertarian Party

Randy Overbeck

Re:Goverment Surplus??? by JaguarCro · 2002-05-27 04:28 · Score: 1 · on Jumping In On The Lessig / Adkinson Copyright Debate

The surplus was projected, it didn't exist yet.

Untrue. We had not had deficit spending since 1997.

Ahh, A lie repeated time and again without any source. Well here is your source, The Office of Managment & Budget from the table Historical Tables, Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal Year 2003 (2.1MB .pdf)

Here is a portion of the data, but basically it shows that there never was a "surplus" as the federal debt has been increasing ever year since 1957.

From the Office of Management and Budget

The Gross Federal Debt
7.1--FEDERAL DEBT AT THE END OF YEAR: 1940-2007--Continued
End of Fiscal Year
In Millions of Dollars As Percentages of GDP
Gross Federal Debt

1985 1,817,521
1986 2,120,629
1987 2,346,125
1988 2,601,307
1989 2,868,039
1990 3,206,564
1991 3,598,485
1992 4,002,123
1993 4,351,403
1994 4,643,691
1995 4,921,005
1996 5,181,921
1997 5,369,694
1998 5,478,711
1999 5,606,087
2000 5,629,016
2001 5,770,256

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Only one party is really looking to reduce this, the Libertarian Party

Randy Overbeck

Payola is trivial compared: #@ +1; Breaking @# by Anonymous Coward · 2002-05-24 03:28 · Score: -1, Offtopic · on Music Industry Seeks Payola Inquiry

to the crimes being committed by members of
The White House

Have a great tokin' weekend courtesy of domestically grown marijuana.