Slashdot Mirror


Slashback: Blockage, Stripes, Upswings

If you seek updates this evening, you're in luck. Below, we have some additional information for you on: the state of the dot-com-economy; more information (and a link to a very neat site) about your private bar-coding adventures; more about the bad things that can result from farming out your spam prevention; and the threads being plucked ungently from the fabric of the Matrix sequels. Enjoy.

Wait -- I thought we were already on the new, new, old, new, old new economy. davecb writes: "To compliment Jon's essay on the Myth of the Tech Slump, have a look at last month's cover article in The Atlantic, where computer technology is quietly changing the old-economy companies of the rust belt into something rather different: the new old economy.

The author asks (and answers) 'The great question about the surge in American productivity since 1996 is, Will it last, or is it simply a brief, blessed pop that will disappear forever when the next recession comes? That is essentially another way of asking whether the New Economy and the New Old Economy are real, or are just the Old Economy on adrenaline.'

He and I suspect it's the very opposite of a slump."

Mommy, where is my new baby brother's barcode? raincrow writes: "One of the only good things that came out of the CueCat fiasco (for me, anyway, besides the free barcode scanner and accompanying shiny coaster), was the discover of ReaderWare, which has made the management of my personal library so much better. The ReaderWare newsletter, in turn, has a lot of good tips on bar code scanners, and turned me on to Qode (http://www.qode.com/), which is a shopping system that uses a personal barcode scanner to let you set up your own shopping lists and other goodies (ReaderWare folks just like it because it can store barcodes untethered from the PC and therefore keeps you from having to lug all your books to the computer). What's interesting is that Qode.com makes a really big deal about being *anonymous*. Quoting from the site 'Note that we said anonymity, not privacy. Qode has been working to solve the problems of consumer privacy by designing a system that does not require any personal or identifying information. Qode matches promotions specifically to the products entered into the system by its anonymous users. It is impossible to connect this information to any individual. We then deliver the promotion to your private, custom web site ? not your e-mail.' Any experiences out there? I'm still looking for the holes, but that's a niftly little gadget for $50.00."

Lose mail free with Not-so-Hotmail! Just when you thought the confluence of spam (note to Hormel -- the bad kind, not your tasty meat product, which is uppercased) and email had exerted all the evil it could, the opposite proves true. Read this account on ZDnet about what happens when your mail doesn't get sent on hotmail due to hyperactive, automatic spam-prevention bots. (The "your" of course referring to people with Hotmail accounts.)

Don't they make video cards or something? Johnathon Walls writes "It seems that the sequels to The Matrix are in even more trouble as Carrie Moss ends up on crutches for six weeks due to a knee injury. This is added trouble to the previous holdups reported by Slashdot. Jet Li has also pulled out (though I'm uncertain how new this bit is)."

19 of 84 comments (clear)

  1. Re:I'll tell you what happens... by autocracy · · Score: 3
    I had softhome. They started sending you "marketing e-mail" from them direct to you. At least it wasn't spam...

    Anyway, for all you Linux users, check out www.linuxfreemail.com. I've had nothing but good experiences with them.

    My karma's bigger than yours!

    --
    SIG: HUP
  2. Re:The hotmail thing... by seebs · · Score: 3

    Care to document this? Find us an example of a system that is being blacklisted but has no spam problems. Media3 certainly ain't it; last I saw, they were hosting spammers, and as long as the spam wasn't sent over their network, they didn't care.

    You seem to be unable to comprehend how this works. Your email wasn't spam. *SOME* email, that *WAS* spam, was being sent by your ISP, or was being sent by a spammer your ISP was hosting. As soon as your ISP stops hosting spammers, *poof*, you're off the list.

    No, MAPS won't "get rid of spam". Not completely. What they will do is remind spam-friendly ISP's that this is a cooperative network.

    BTW, you have shown yourself to be a *FUCKING MORON*. Anyone who has ever used the RBL can prove to you that they don't block domains, they block IP's. Hint: I use it, and the only thing I ever look up is an IP. It doesn't matter how many domains use that IP, or how many IP's a given domain uses; MAPS lists IP's.

    Yes, Harris dropped their suit. They dropped it because they knew damn well they'd lose, because there were plenty of well-documented cases where they were, get this, spamming.

    If you knew what you were talking about, if you didn't make gross technical errors, and if you could distinguish between cause and effect, you might be able to have a point. As is, you're not even close enough to reality to be "wrong"; you're just delusional.

    --
    My blog: http://www.seebs.net/log/ --- My iPhone/iPad app: http://www.seebs.net/seebsfrac/
  3. This is absurd! by spoonboy42 · · Score: 3

    This comment is too revolting to qualify for troll status. Let me expound just why this AC has made my top 5 morons of all time list.

    1. OK, Keanu Reeves isn't a fantastic actor. If you want to criticize him, either comment on his lack of talent, or make a clever joke. Don't throw out some made-up tripe about his sexual orientation.

    2. What is your problem with homosexuals, anyway? Homosexuals are not some untouchable, evil class. They are human beings who were born with a unique trait which does not affect you in any way. Prejudice against gays is no better than racism.

    3. Aids can not be spread by skin contact. The virus does not enter saliva, perspiration, or urine. There is no reason to avoid casually touching a person infected by HIV. Your comment is particularly hurtful to those who did not contrive AIDS by any choice of their own. You are mearly hiding your bigotry in a thin veil of psuedo-pathogenic nonsense.

    4. Not all homosexuals have AIDS. Likewise, not all persons who suffer from AIDS are homosexual. The disease has absolutely no preference for sexual orientation. You are just as likely, if not moreso, to encounter a heterosexual person with AIDS as a homosexual one. Of course, this point doesn't really matter (see #3, above).

    --
    Anonymous Luddite: "What do you think of the dehumanizing effects of the Internet?"
    Andy Grove: "Not Much."
  4. Oh yeah. by mindstrm · · Score: 3

    Hotmail scrwing up is a violation of your right to free speech.

    It's a FREE email service... it's FREE, so you don't have the right to expect ANYTHING.
    Hotmail can decide to stop service tomorrow and nobody can do ANYTHING about it....

  5. Not-spam. by MortimerK · · Score: 5

    I was in the middle of a play-by-email game of Diplomacy when my e-mail hosting service decided to block any mail with 'diploma' in the subject. Of course they didn't notify users about the new spam filter, or the list of keywords, or provide any control over it, so it took me a while to realise. O how I laughed. My allies thought I had suddenly fallen cold with them and Turkey fell quicker than a really quick thing.

  6. Re:HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA by Fluffy+the+Cat · · Score: 4

    Hotmail addresses are recycled a short time after accounts are closed. Somebody else may have had the same account name before you and been less careful. Of course, it's also possible that one of your friends accidently put it on a web page somewhere, or mentioned it in a news posting, or half a dozen other things where address scrapers can pick it up.

  7. I'll tell you what happens... by kenthorvath · · Score: 3
    what happens when your mail doesn't get sent on hotmail due to hyperactive, automatic spam-prevention bots?

    You get a free pop3/webmail account with www.softhome.net. That's what!

  8. Spammers by Phr3n3tik · · Score: 3

    And just today, I recieved the following, (After a beleagured discussion with their list manager):

    Hello. I have put you on our banned list which means that you (or anyone else) will not ever be able to subscribe you again. If by chance you do recieve an email from listmanager or Shagmail please email me and I will take it from there.

    Thank you for your patience in solving this matter. If you have any problems please feel free to email me.

    win one for the little guy...

    --
    -------------------- Hmmm... what does this button d
  9. Jet Li's been gone for a while by L-Train8 · · Score: 4

    Jet Li pulled out of the Matrix sequel a while ago. Michelle Yeoh was set to replace him, but now she has pulled out, too. Unlike Michelle Yeoh, Li's beef seems to have been the money. Yeun Woo Ping, the awesome Hong Kong kung fu choreographer who did the wire work for both the original Matrix, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, also might not be back for The Matrix II. Rumor has it that the American stars are sucking up all the money from the production, leaving Woo Ping out in the cold with Jet Li. If they want to get world class Hong Kong people, they should pay them what they're worth. Hell, The Matrix was really just an appropriation of the Hong Kong action movie, with a bigger budget and better special effects. First they rip of the concept, then they won't pay the originators of the idea what they are worth.

    --

    Don't forget that Friday is Hawaiian shirt day.
  10. What Happened to Hollywood Magic? by the+real+jeezus · · Score: 3

    Moss & Reeves are both out of commission due to lower limb injuries. Can't the movie company just paste their heads onto a someone else's bodies? Hell, I've seen plenty o' fake pr0n pics on the web done in the same fashion. Maybe they can find whoever pasted the extra-large penis onto the goatse.cx/giver guy to do the Photoshop work...


    I'd rather be a unix freak than a freaky eunuch

    --

    Ewige Blumenkraft!
  11. HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA by legLess · · Score: 4
    From the article:
    "MSN has been very aggressive and proactive in protecting our MSN Hotmail users from spam," Sarah Lefko, MSN product manager.
    I have literally *never* given my Hotmail address to anyone but personal friends (and of course, slightly obfuscated here on /.), and I just deleted 5 spams today. I've setup new Hotmail accounts with non-obvious addresses and had spam in less than 24 hours - the same shite every time: fake college diplomas, work from home, check out my pussy, etc.

    Microsoft has turned into a bunch of politicians: How can you tell they're lying? Their spokesdroid's lips move.


    question: is control controlled by its need to control?
    answer: yes
    --
    This isn't as much "normalization" as it is "don't take so many drugs when you're designing tables."
    1. Re:HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA by Apache · · Score: 5

      There's a spamming technique that allows spammers to find your email address even if you've NEVER given it to anyone. Basically you set up a script that vomits a bunch of spam to a domain with random user names and watch to see which ones DON'T bounce. I suspect a big name like hotmail would be an excellent target for such an attack. More users means better chance of finding unlisted "private" mail boxes. My mail server has been hit by many of these scans. Yeesh.

  12. Wimps by drivers · · Score: 3

    If Patrick Swayze can act in Dirty Dancing with a gimpy knee, surely these actors can make Matrix II with their injuries. :-)

  13. Re:Matrix Sequels Rumors by Johnathon+Walls · · Score: 3

    From the Coming Attractions page ...

    Carrie-Anne Moss has suffered a sprained knee while training for the Matrix sequels.
    ...
    Keanu Reeves has sustained a serious injury to his left foot while training for the Matrix sequels.
    ...
    Our first alert came from a reader of yesterday's London Sun newspaper who read a story and saw a picture showing Reeves with his foot in plaster
    ...
    CA was told Reeves did complain about some "tenderness" that he felt around his ankle region, and at the time his ankle was wrapped and later examined by a doctor
    ...
    We were hoping to have some final answers today, but now we just more questions. Stay tuned for more as we uncover it.


    The website you referred to does mention Carrie Moss' injury (Jan 9th). It was a London reader that gave them their first tip, confirmed by a website reading a Swedish newspaper. Welcome to the power of the Internet. There are also 3 other photos of him with the cast at Coming Attractions. The publicist only denied that it was broken, and specifically mentioned that Keanu complained of tenderness, and that it was wrapped. It's entirely likely that, as the publicist said, it's not a serious injury, but that it was wrapped in that walking cast to prevent further injury.

    Lastly, the article quoted above is Canadian, and it is sourcing the New York Daily News.

    The simplest explanation seems to be that Carrie Moss did suffer an injury, as reported, and that Keanu injured his foot but it wasn't as serious as originally stated.

  14. Re:Value of actors in The Matrix sequels by schussat · · Score: 3
    Yeah, I got a kick out of that, too. I mean, come on, 11 months of his life has just -got- to be worth more than three million bucks. I'd balk too, if somebody made me an insulting offer like that.

    -schussat

    --
    The hour of noon has passed. Let us go and get some Kentucky Fried Chicken.
  15. I have not had this problem by localroger · · Score: 3

    I have 2 Hotmail accounts, and I have never received a spam to either of them that was not from a website I visited. I suspect your problem has to do either with your personal friends or your slighlty obfuscated version of it here.

    --
    Brackets contain world's first nanosig, highly magnified:[.]
  16. Usual high class media reporting by Cederic · · Score: 5

    "If Microsoft, one of the largest technology companies, can say who we send e-mail to, that really puts constraints on freedom of speech in the U.S.," said Johnson, an information technology worker at a major Illinois hospital.

    ..or perhaps it's just a limitation on the free service that Microsoft have made available. And if you want free speech then you should buy a wooden crate to stand on (or switch to another email service provider).

    It depresses me that

    People this stupid exist

    News services repeat such bone-headed opinions without labelling them as such

    ~Cederic

  17. Quantum Economy by Black+Parrot · · Score: 4

    This is tangential, but maybe you'll find it interesting that the Feb Scientific American claims that 30% of the US GNP is based on products that make use of the principles of quantum mechanics.[1]

    The high tech economy is here to stay; just don't confuse "high tech economy" with ill-conceived e-commerce scams^w schemes.

    (I'm sure e-commerce is here to stay too, but most of what exists now is based on hype rather than utility, and will be eroded away before the real e-economy settles in. Not to imply that you didn't already know that.)

    [1] Of course, all products use quantum mechanics at some level. The claim was refering to direct uses, such as lasers, transistors, superconduction, etc.

    --

    --
    Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
  18. Matrix Sequels Rumors by RoninM · · Score: 3

    These rumors about the trouble with the Matrix sequels are, just that, rumors. Keanu Reeve's publicist flatly denied that the actor has broken his ankle and that we was ever wearing a cast or support for the ankle. See the Matrix 2 page on Coming Attractions (http://www.corona.bc.ca/films/) for a more in-depth look at the state of the rumor. There's nothing about Carrie Moss's injury. My tendency is to chalk these up as 'net rumors. How would a Swedish newspaper scoop the entire world on Keanu Reeves breaking an ankle? Why does he have a cast but not crutches if he has a broken ankle? Why would a publicist deny his client is injured when the client is already has a starring role in a project that cannot reasonably be made without him? The simplest explanation seems to me to be that none of it's true, Keanu doesn't have a broken ankle and the pictures are either mis-dated or fake.

    --
    If a corporation is a personhood, is owning stock slavery?