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Slashback: Python, Giveaway, Collection

Slashback tonight with more on poseable Python figures (sorry Guido, the other Python -- your turn will come), Brian K. West (sigh), preserving transient websites for historical purposes, and giving away Free software. Bulk order from CheapBytes, perhaps? GigsVT writes: "From FreeLinuxCD.org: CD reserves getting very low: If you have been thinking about contributing CDs, it is the best time to do so. We are running dangerously low on our reserves. With the best of luck we will only be able to go one more week after which we will have to pause until the next batch of contributions comes in. Please consider giving back to the Linux, Open Source and Free Software communities that has helped you in many ways in the past so that we can keep taking Linux, BSD and other Free Operating Systems to people who will have their lives changed by them."

Let's make this a closed collection, please. gmr2048 writes "In the WashTech section of the Washington Post there is a story about organizations (working with the Library of Congress) trying to catalogue and store web pages from the attacks of Sept 11, 2001. Towards the end of the article is this request for help: "...are developing a cataloguing system to help navigate the terrorist attack archives, and they are seeking the public's help in identifying Web pages that should be included. Their Web site is at www.webarchivist.org.

I thought slashdot'ers could lend a hand. I know I got most of my info the day of the attacks from /."

Hopefully, they will include Robert Liedlein's site. Lieblein writes: "Quick backstory, 4 or 5 years ago I shot footage for an IBM commercial down in the World Trade Center area. It was actually one of my favorite days that I ever spent in New York, just me and a camera. I kept thinking about that day after the tragic event. 5 years in New York city and only once was I right directly in the area that is ground zero, and I happened to have a camera and an objective of the day was to film the people, the energy, the life. A few days ago I finally found an old VHS tape that had about an hour of transfers of the footage. I knew I had that tape somewhere. I wanted to watch just for the reason of being able to go back there, to understand what it was like and what had happened. I realized that I had footage that was refreshing from the devastation we are all viewing and cut it into a 4 1/2 minute video. I hope the memory of the WTC alive and breathing life gives hope to a new day when that energy and vitality can thrive again."

Outliving the presumption of innocence. Keefe writes "I am sure that we all remeber the name Brian K. West. He is 24 year old sales and support employee for an internet service provider in SE Oklahoma. Mr. West alerted a local business to a serious security flaw in their website. The business had him investigated by the Justice Department for helping them fix a website security hole. The online community cried out to help him because of his innocence. It turns out that he actually was intending to modify the newspaper's Web applications -- written in the Perl language -- and modify them and market his own versions."

Patsy! Patsy! Patsy! (It's only a model.) Shere Ermilio wrote to point out that if you're interested in the Monty Python action figures hemos posted about not long ago, this could be your lucky month -- here's the link to Sideshow Toys' Monty Python giveaway for October. Those with spare cash and less hope can buy them the usual way. (And No, I'm not getting any free dolls ;))

194 comments

  1. Brian West by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    He's not guilty. He's just pining for the fjords!

    1. Re:Brian West by blkros · · Score: 0, Offtopic
      Or, maybe, it was the fnords. Damn them, they're everywhere.

      --
      Damnit, Jim, I'm an anarchist, not a F@#$!^& doctor!
    2. Re:Brian West by Russ+Nelson · · Score: 2

      "He's just pining for the fjords!" is off topic?? Excuse me, but this slashback is at least partially about Monty Python. Seems to me that any Python quotes should be on-topic. There's nothing worse than a clueless git moderator who doesn't know his Monty Python.
      -russ

      --
      Don't piss off The Angry Economist
    3. Re:Brian West by ectoraige · · Score: 4, Funny

      Speaking of Monty Python, featured on
      BBSpot's daily spot, is a Monty Python Lego movie in quicktime. Windows media version is here.
      Anybody who likes Monthy Python and Lego, check it out. Hmm I guess that's everybody here...

      --
      Vs lbh pna ernq guvf, ybt bss abj. Tb bhgfvqr. Syl n xvgr.
  2. i thought i was the only one by macsox · · Score: 1, Informative

    i was storing page screenshots on the 11th -- www.pbump.net/captures.html -- just for history's sake. nothing groundbreaking, and based on when i got up on the west coast, but still interesting.

    it's a nice complement to the newspapers i also saved.

    1. Re:i thought i was the only one by macsox · · Score: 1

      link should be: www.pbump.net/captures.html. this time i will preview.

  3. transient websites by drDugan · · Score: 2, Funny

    Gee I've had several "transient websites" that (at the time) were never meant to be...

    I'd rather not have anyone backing them up!

  4. Speaking of WTC by Pope · · Score: 3, Offtopic

    While just about everyone else was watching "Enterprise" on Wednesday, I was out seeing "The French Connection" (came out in 1971) at a local rep cinema. One interesting shot: a WTC tower under construction, with cranes on the roof and everything. Pretty weird in light of recent events...

    --
    It doesn't mean much now, it's built for the future.
    1. Re:Speaking of WTC by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      The French Connection just came out in a special edition DVD. I highly recommend it; the features, transfer quality, and story are exceptional.

    2. Re:Speaking of WTC by J4 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      See also "The Hot Rock".
      Not quite as good a movie, but there are some good shots of the towers under construction when the thieves are
      trying to fly the chopper they stole.
      I saw that shit go up, never thought I'd see it come down.

    3. Re:Speaking of WTC by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Do you remember what part of the movie this shot was in?

    4. Re:Speaking of WTC by Kimble · · Score: 2, Interesting
      Another weird thing: ESPN.com had a feature in their baseball section about the National League pennant race of 1951. They included excerpts of Don DeLillo's novella "Pafko at the Wall," which was the framework for his novel Underworld. ESPN had a link to Amazon.com selling "Pafko at the Wall," which I clicked because I didn't know it was available separately. It didn't have any reviews, so I looked to see what the readers had to say about Underworld.

      Since I've read that book, I probably should've remembered its cover. But, I didn't. Here it is. Compare to this, which got a 2-page spread in Time's special 9-11 issue.

      --
      ..!!in an intastella burst i am back to save the universe!!
  5. Free CD's you say? by Aerog · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Donated CD's, you say? Well judging by the speed that my current 100-pack is diminishing, the idea of giving them away is going to send me into the red before you know it.

    But that brings up a good question: How much does one donate to something like that, and what cost is that looking at? I got a deal with 100 CD's and cases for $0.50CDN apiece, but that was a deal. How much do you usually send? and where can I get some of those free CD's in the neverending quest to archive the internet (another noble pursuit)

    --

    - Relativistic? That's barely Newtonian!
  6. government waste by mj6798 · · Score: 4, Troll
    I'm sorry, but I don't see why taxpayer money should be wasted on investigating or prosecuting cases like West. This kind of activity should not be a felony or misdemeanor. If the paper wants to collect its own information and file a civil lawsuit for damages, that's fine.

    Unlike "real world" theft, it is pretty easy for a company to protect itself against these kinds of problems, and it is pretty easy for it to collect and present its own evidence. And even in the real world, if you left your front door unlocked and put your cheap, fake diamond necklace out there for everybody to see (roughly the equivalent of having a Perl script on an IIS server), I think a prosecutor would see the sillyness of wasting lots of resources on your case.

    As for guilty pleas in such cases, I think they are pretty meaningless. Faced with the threat of lengthy prison sentences, I suspect many people will plea guilty to minor offenses, whether they committed them or not. Do you really think West "intended" to modify someone else's messy Perl script and make a business out of it? Seems pretty unlikely to me.

    1. Re:government waste by poot_rootbeer · · Score: 1

      > And even in the real world, if you left your
      > front door unlocked and put your cheap, fake
      > diamond necklace out there for everybody to see
      > (roughly the equivalent of having a Perl script
      > on an IIS server), I think a prosecutor would
      > see the sillyness of wasting lots of resources
      > on your case.

      s/prosecutor/defense attorney/

      IANAL, and neither are you, but if you steal that necklace it's pretty obvious you're guilty of a crime.

      -Poot

    2. Re:government waste by hetfield · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Isn't that kind of like saying "stealing a Playstation 2 from Toys R Us shouldn't be a misdemeanor. Toys R Us should just sue every shoplifter."

      It is just as easy to protect against "real world" theft as it is "virtual" theft. Security cameras, secret shoppers, employee training, and theft tags: the "real world" equivalent of firewalls, IDS, honeypots...

      Shoplifting these days is a lot harder than it used to be. Just like with computer security, though, any system can be cracked, real or vitual. Theft is theft, and companies have relied on the law to help when their own systems fail. The same should apply in cases like this.

      West didn't "intend" as in pre-meditated, but when the opportunity magically presented itself, he went for it. If you see that the owner of a store accidentally forgot to lock the deadbolt on the front door, does that mean it's ok to go inside a take a few things, hide them, and then call the police? Sure, the owner was a dolt, but that doesn't excuse stealing.

      Then again, maybe all that Catholic school education has gotten to me :)

    3. Re:government waste by dillon_rinker · · Score: 3, Insightful

      True. HOWEVER...in the REAL WORLD, if you steal a dime-store necklace, you're charged with petty theft. If you steal a diamond necklace, you're charged with grand theft. The difference is a misdemeanor and a felony conviction.

      In this case, Mr. West got away with a misdemeanor charge, but what if the prosecutor had decided the damages were $50,000? $100,000? What's the value of a PERL script? What's the value of a closed security hole? Dunno...but I can see how easy it would be to twist a small breakin into looking like a large one. This is scary stuff.

    4. Re:government waste by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      That's why breaking into computer systems [and houses] is illegal. The assumption is you're there to steal something. If you don't intend to steal something, don't break in.

    5. Re:government waste by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      West didn't "intend" as in pre-meditated


      Or maybe he did. That's for the courts to decide.


      Regardless, he acted with no honor in claiming to a gullible public that he was "only trying to help". Sort of like helping an injured guy to the hospital but stealing his wallet on the way.

    6. Re:government waste by fizban · · Score: 1

      What's the value of a PERL script? What's the value of a closed security hole? Dunno...but I can see how easy it would be to twist a small breakin into looking like a large one.

      Uh, not really. It's really easy to determine the value. What did the server and the scripts do for the company's business? You can put a price tag on that very easily. Hard to twist that around.

      --

      +1 Insightful, -1 Troll. What can I say, I'm an Insightful Troll.

    7. Re:government waste by burris · · Score: 2

      are you kidding? The prosecutor most likely DID threaten a felony charge using trumped up software value and offered the misdemeanor charge as a plea bargain. Given the choice of financial ruin, even if you win, and the prospect of a felony conviction (almost certain in this case), OR plea to a misdemeanor and get probation and community service, almost everyone would take the plea bargain. It's easier on everone, even if it's not necessarily "just."

      Welcome to the world of the US federal criminal justice system.

      Burris

    8. Re:government waste by awol · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Isn't that kind of like saying "stealing a Playstation 2 from Toys R Us shouldn't be a misdemeanor. Toys R Us should just sue every shoplifter."

      Well no, since stealing a Playstation 2 from Toys R Us deprives TRU from the benefit of that object. Hence there is a social policy issue that the state has an interest in prosecuting. That is, the "chaos" resulting from people going around and depriving people of their goods is contrary to public policy and so crimes are mandated. (I am not validating this position, just stating that it is the theory behind criminalising of certain acts. In the property case I find the justification straightforward, in the case of personal injury [battery, murder GBH] the justification is trivial. The criminalisation of economic wrongs is a development that disturbs since the justification is harder and many would argue [eg Nader] that it is more evidence of the socialasiation of corporate costs, but I digress)

      It is important to note that the "criminality" of these property crimes is a function of the development of jurisprudence in England in the 18th century. Prior to that the only remedy for proprty related "wrongs" was a civil action. Clearly in this case, there was no "depravation" of utility since the company still had theor website _and_ they have the knowledge of the security flaw. So in fact they have a net utility gain out of this.

      The fact that the guy was working on his own version of the code to remarket it, well, even if it is true, I don't believe in IP so good luck to him, once he publishes (or not if he too has security flaws) he is subject ot people taking his code and "improving" it themselves, so goose and gander my friend, goose and gander.

      --
      "The first thing to do when you find yourself in a hole is stop digging."
    9. Re:government waste by Hard_Code · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Yeah, I hate when corporations complain to government that profits have been *STOLEN* from then. When the fsck did profit become a *right*?? Oh no, technology is outmoding your business - run to government and cry. Oh no, every person in America is depriving you of profit - get Congress to call them "criminals". And now we're giving how many millions or billions just to "bail out" airlines?? Just as a gift? (ok, in that case it could be argued that airlines provide a greater public infrastructure good, but it's not like we don't bail all sorts of other things). Corporate profit is now becoming a right in this country, and new laws are being invented (*cough* Anti-Terrorism Act *cough*) to criminalize and harshly penalize any behavior which seems to go against the "American Way". Granted that this guy was probably some freeloading fool, but what's next? If I circumvent television ads am I now depriving corporations of their right to mindshare?

      --

      It's 10 PM. Do you know if you're un-American?
    10. Re:government waste by Trejus · · Score: 1
      and new laws are being invented (*cough* Anti-Terrorism Act *cough*) to criminalize and harshly penalize any behavior which seems to go against the "American Way"

      sigh... If only this were true. We could throw Ashcroft, Cheney, and everyone who supports the DMCA in jail, throw away the key and live happily ever after.

      --
      "To save the planet, I had to go to the worst spot on Earth, and that was Philadelphia." -- Sun Ra
    11. Re:government waste by dillon_rinker · · Score: 2

      good call...I figured they used the scripts to catch him "red handed" and why didn't the defense attorney explain to the DA that his sole piece of incriminating evidence was a text file on a computer controlled by the prosecutor. This ain't a bloody glove...it only takes a few seconds to plant a log file and NO ONE can tell the difference.

    12. Re:government waste by dillon_rinker · · Score: 2

      That's exactly my point. If I break into a business, I can't steal the whole business. If I break into a server, by your logic, if the company is dependent on the server, I have potentially caused damage or stolen information equivalent to the value of the entire business. If the script cost $1,000 in consultant time to produce but has generated $1,000,000 in sales but has been obsoleted by a competitor's script that cost $100,000 to produce, then what's the value of the script?

    13. Re:government waste by fizban · · Score: 1

      Uh, wrong. The incriminating evidence was what the FBI found on the defendent's computer. That, my friend, definitely IS a bloody glove. Plus, you've got a confession of guilt. Justice was done.

      --

      +1 Insightful, -1 Troll. What can I say, I'm an Insightful Troll.

    14. Re:government waste by fizban · · Score: 1

      obsoleted by a competitor's script that cost $100,000 to produce

      That's quite a script! :-)

      Your argument was that it's easy to twist the value of the script into a much higher figure. But I say it's not really possible, because all you have to do is look at financial statements for the company and you have rock-solid proof of the ACTUAL value of the servers and scripts in question. And if you don't have that information, anything stated will be proven as pure conjecture by the defense and won't count towards the sentencing.

      Comparing the value of the script to a competitor's product may work, but they'd have to have the SAME script in question and be in the SAME business and use it for the SAME purpose, which is highly unlikely. Therefore, your theory that the prosecutor could twist figures to his liking to get a higher sentence is unfounded. Lawyers live in the world of facts (just like us nerds) and don't live by the rules of Public Relations of Marketing.

      --

      +1 Insightful, -1 Troll. What can I say, I'm an Insightful Troll.

  7. The Danger of E-Records...? by mutantcamel · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I remember a story on /. a while back that expressed concern that there would be no electronic records from the 20th/21st century because of our reliance on computer technology (and the fact that things can be deleted/degrade over time) is a catalogue of webapages (I know they're not supposed to be a definitive record of eventss, but...) a little redundant?

    1. Re:The Danger of E-Records...? by kaxman · · Score: 1

      Verbage parser overload...bzzzt...piff

      --
      Everyone on slashdot has a journal.
    2. Re:The Danger of E-Records...? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Who cares? Everything worthwhile is archived by individuals. It only takes one to keep an archive readable, and the information is saved.


      Put another way: if no-one bothered archiving it, who cares if it gets deleted?

    3. Re:The Danger of E-Records...? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Plus they will be copy-protected and in the wrong region

    4. Re:The Danger of E-Records...? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I've got stuff going back nearly 4000 years in my inbox.

  8. Proof? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Interesting

    Hmm, if West really *is* guilty, why isn't this story running on any other news sites? Just food for thought.

    - Coward, Anonymous

    1. Re:Proof? by cluening · · Score: 5, Informative

      Actually, it is:

      Wired

      Someplace I have never heard of

      And probably some others...

      --
      Posted from the wireless couch.
  9. nothing's free? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    except, all the gnu stuff you can dload, &, this descriptive set of URLs (gift boxed, with a year's free hosting), if you can follow the directions.

    1. Re:nothing's free? by HBD · · Score: 0

      i once got a free bag of jelly belly jelly beans off of a website..lol..they can't be tricked into sending you multiple bags containing 19 jelly-beans!!..that is just wrong..a real tease..so i guess they wern't free..lol

      --
      -- Note to self - 'Don't push that button'.
  10. Three words by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Nobody else cares.

  11. WTC video by christurkel · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I found this video very moving and powerful. Kudos to the filmmaker! The towers bustled with so much life now its all gone, for what? for nothing. Someday, life will return to that area and when it does we will be all better for it!

    --

    CDE open sourced! https://sourceforge.net/projects/cdesktopenv/
    1. Re:WTC video by gorgon · · Score: 1

      My favorite part of the video was at about 2:44.5 when a gentleman going through the revolving door appears to flick off the camera man. Seems pretty approriate.

      --

      And I'd be a Libertarian, if they weren't all a bunch of tax-dodging professional whiners.
      Berke Breathed
    2. Re:WTC video by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Any chance for an MPEG version so those of us who use Linux behind a firewall can watch?

  12. Re:Am I the only one... by HBD · · Score: 0

    Damned Tree-Huggers

    --
    -- Note to self - 'Don't push that button'.
  13. do you believe in the tooth fairy too? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    jesus christ, stop apologizing for this guy. he did it alright. do you also believe O.J. didn't do it either??

    and really it's not a meaningless case. What if this had happened to you? you wouldn't be such a stupid asshole about it. this isn't a victimless crime here.

  14. Give the Gift of Life - Linux by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny
    If you have been thinking about contributing CDs, it is the best time to do so. We are running dangerously low on our reserves. With the best of luck we will only be able to go one more week after which we will have to pause until the next batch of contributions comes in.

    Anyone else struck buy the similarity of this plea and request for donations by the Red Cross?

    Due to the recent terrorist atacks by Nimda and Code Red, hospitals and server farms are running dangerously low on Linux. If you are type Root negative, you are considered a universal superuser, and your donation is needed most. Please sign up with your local donation center and give a pint of Linux. The box you save may be your own.

    P.S. I am NOT mocking blood donation. If you haven't yet, give blood.

    1. Re:Give the Gift of Life - Linux by carleton · · Score: 4, Informative

      Keep in mind, a lot of areas have enough blood for the time being, but the length of time blood is viable is less than the length of time between when people can give blood. Because of this, some areas are encouraging people to wait a little while so that there isn't a shortage down the road when everyone who can give blood has already done so and therefore can't until their body replaces the blood they gave.

    2. Re:Give the Gift of Life - Linux by glitch! · · Score: 1

      Sorry, I just have to post to correct my moderation error - it was supposed to be +1 funny, but somehow came out -1 offtopic. -Sorry

      --
      A dingo ate my sig...
    3. Re:Give the Gift of Life - Linux by meara · · Score: 1

      Making your username rather ironic! ;)

  15. i couldn't help it by asolipsist · · Score: 5, Funny

    I was searching for sites (don't ask) and this article came up.

    www.ishipress.com/osamaint.htm

    coincidence? stenography? idiocy? you decide

    Transcript of Osama Bin Ladin interview by Peter Arnett The first-ever television interview with Osama Bin Ladin was conducted by Peter Arnett in eastern Afghanistan in late March 1997. Questions were submitted in advance. Bin Ladin responded to almost all of the questions. CNN was not allowed to ask follow up questions. The interview lasted just over an hour. ARNETT: Mr. Bin Ladin, could you give us your main criticism of the Saudi royal Family that is ruling Saudi Arabia today?

    Osama bin Ladin

    MR. BIN LADIN: Regarding the criticisms of the ruling regime in Saudi Arabia and the Arabian peninsula, the first one is their subordination to the US. So, our main problem is the US government while the Saudi regime is but a branch or an agent of the US. By being loyal to the US regime, the Saudi regime has committed an act against Islam. And this, based on the ruling of Shari'a (Islamic jurisprudence), casts the regime outside the religious community. Subsequently, the regime has stopped ruling people according to what God revealed, praise and glory be to Him, not to mention many other contradictory acts. When this main foundation was violated, other corrupt acts followed in every aspect of the country, the economic, the social, government services and so on.

    REPORTER: Mr. Bin Ladin, if the Islamic movement takes over Arabia, what kind of society will be created and will Saudi Arabia, for example, return to the laws of the Qur'an at the time of the Prophet?

    BIN LADIN: We are confident, with the permission of God, Praise and Glory be to Him, that Muslims will be victorious in the Arabian peninsula and that God's religion, praise and glory be to Him, will prevail in this peninsula. It is a great pride and a big hope that the revelation unto Muhammad, Peace be upon him, will be resorted to for ruling. When we used to follow Muhammad's revelation, Peace be upon him, we were in great happiness and in great dignity, to God belong credit and praise.

    REPORTER: Mr. Bin Ladin, if the Islamic movement takes over Saudi Arabia, what would your attitude to the West be and will the price of oil be higher?

    BIN LADIN: We are a nation and have a long history, with the grace of God, Praise and Glory be to Him. We are now in the 15th century of this great religion, the complete and comprehensive methodology, has clarified the dealing between an individual and another, the duties of the believer towards God, Praise and Glory be to Him, and the relationship between the Muslim country and other countries in time of peace and in time of war. If we look back at our history, we will find there were many types of dealings between the Muslim nation and the other nations in time of peace and in time of war, including treaties and matters to do with commerce. So it is not a new thing that we need to come up with. Rather, it already, by the grace of God, exists. As for oil, it is a commodity that will be subject to the price of the market according to supply and demand. We believe that the current prices are not realistic due to the Saudi regime playing the role of a US agent and the pressures exercised by the US on the Saudi regime to increase production and flooding the market that caused a sharp decrease in oil prices.

    1. Re:i couldn't help it by unitron · · Score: 2

      As I recall, Aramco stands for Arabian-American Oil Company, or something like that (kinda like Texaco started out as the Texas Company), so I presume Saudi Aramco is sardonic humor indicating that Saudi Arabia is the creature and servant of Aramco. Which it probably is. Shame on us for making it possible for the Saudi family to become so filthy rich.

      --

      I see even classic Slashdot is now pretty much unusable on dial up anymore.

  16. you slashbots really are idiots by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    first, you go and defend the guy based only on his word alone, and are so quick to blame it on the government. now the tables are turned, you people look stupid, and say hey, this isn't really a crime, and maybe he just pled guilty to avoid a longer sentence.

    You people need to get a clue.

  17. Donate Via http://www.freelinuxcd.org/donate.php by mrpull · · Score: 4, Informative

    I thought to myself, "If they had a paypal account, I could send 'em ten bucks. That would be easier than running to the local computer store and buying cd's and sending them in the mail. Also, they could prolly make that ten bucks stretch further by making bulk purchases."

    SO, I did some research and found
    http://www.freelinuxcd.org/donate.php

    I'll send my ten bucks and you can too.

    Thanks,
    mr.

  18. you are so confused by mj6798 · · Score: 2
    You may not realize it, but Slashdot isn't just you and some other anonymous entity.

    In fact, I never defended the guy or made assumptions about his guilt or innocence. I just think it's a waste of taxpayer money to prosecute these kinds of cases.

    1. Re:you are so confused by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1
      what kinds of cases aren't a waste of taxpayer money then?? only theft that involves real physical objects?

      what if a guy steals your credit card number and uses it to run up charges? should that case not be prosecuted since the number isn't real, and the money isn't real??

      please, when you get out of junior high school, maybe you'll see that theft is theft.

    2. Re:you are so confused by dgroskind · · Score: 3, Interesting

      First you say: Do you really think West "intended" to modify someone else's messy Perl script and make a business out of it? Seems pretty unlikely to me.

      Then you say: I never defended the guy or made assumptions about his guilt or innocence.

      Can you see why readers might be confused here? In the first statement you appear to be defending him and suggesting he didn't intend to commit a crime. In the second statement you are denying defending him.

      If he's innocent, as you imply in the first statement, then the issue isn't whether it is a waste of money to prosecute him. The issue is that a miscarriage of justice occurred.

      If he's guilty, which implies intent, then that intent becomes as big an issue as the value of what he stole. For instance, attempted murder receives a heavy sentence even though the victim may have suffered no actual harm.

      In addition, this prosecution may have a deterent effect upon his future behavior, thus saving the cost of a more expensive prosecution in the future.

      I'd say the taxpayers got good value for their money. Now if you were to argue that jail time in this case would be a waste of money, you might have a point.

    3. Re:you are so confused by mj6798 · · Score: 2
      Can you see why readers might be confused here? In the first statement you appear to be defending him and suggesting he didn't intend to commit a crime. In the second statement you are denying defending him.

      You are splitting hairs. He may or may not have accessed the computer illegally, but that he did so in hope of selling some Perl script just seems unlikely to me.

    4. Re:you are so confused by dgroskind · · Score: 1

      I hesitated to respond to your original post because I didn't want to be associated with the uncouth slashdotters who used the fact they disagreed with you as an excuse to behave in a rude and abusive manner.

      If I were in your position, I would have found the tone of the debate disheartening and been tempted to forget the whole thing.

      I appreciate you taking the time for a rejoinder.

  19. Maybe its time is past... by xonker · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The CD-giveaway thing was a great thing once, because Linux was still relatively experimental and there was a need to find inventive ways to distribute Linux to anyone who might try it.

    At this point, I think Linux has been around long enough, maybe it's time that people with slowband connections actually shell out for at least a CheapBytes CD or actually keep the companies that make distributions alive by buying a $40 box once a year. Is that really so much to ask?

    Several companies still sell the cheap CDs, and I can't imagine too many people who can afford a computer that can't afford six bucks for the CD-ROM plus shipping. (Or whatever the total cost is...) Granted, there may be some "under-developed" countries who could use them, but the average teen or LUG member can afford to actually shell out a few bucks to help support the commercial efforts that support the software development.

    It's one thing to buck insane licensing fees and want access to source code, it's another just to be a cheap-ass who is out to get everything for free. (This isn't a dig on the Free CD effort itself, they're trying to do the Right Thing. But I'd bet a lot of people sucking up the CDs could afford to buy one but instead take advantage of the generosity of others.)

  20. Remember the WTC? by maniac11 · · Score: 2, Interesting
    This is my first post about the events of the past weeks. Not because I didn't have anything to say; rather there was (and is) just so much being said that I didn't feel a need to contribute to the noise.


    That said, this bit of video brings up an interesting question that has crossed my mind: What will be the fate of the Center itself? While the focus has been on the destruction of the two main towers, the site itself is very large.


    I have heard various suggestions: the owner/developer of the property is considering putting up four new 50-story buildings; some are calling for the twin towers to be rebuilt exactly as they were. NYC officials have been quoted as saying that this is an opportunity for New York to rethink not only its skyline but its vision of itself.


    I hope that whatever happens, it is something more interesting that another corporate filing cabinet. Of course there will be an extensive memorial (as well there should be), but doesn't the site deserve something at least as interesting as the twin towers were in the 60s? How about an arcology? Ideas?

    --
    Guvegrra?
    1. Re:Remember the WTC? by J4 · · Score: 1

      FYI the buildings were owned by The Port Authority.
      What I'd like to see is the bronze plaque memorializing the first attack (it was in the parking garage where the bomb went off) incorporated into a memorial.

  21. donate used by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    I don't think they are asking for you to go out and mass-produce Linux CDs. Usually, the idea is to pass on CDs that you have used and no longer need, so that they can be spread to others. Sort of the same idea as donating to a charity. Most charities will take used clothes. They don't expect you to go out and buy a new wardrobe and put it in one of those collection bins. (I realize some charities only take new clothes, but just work with me here.)

    I, for instance, have tons of Linux CDs sitting around collecting dust, which I am going to package up and send out.

    1. Re:donate used by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      collecting dust is the only thing a linux CD is useful for.

    2. Re:donate used by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Lots of vulnerabilities in old stuff.

    3. Re:donate used by baptiste · · Score: 3, Informative
      They also need shipping materials and other stuff if you don't have any CDs. From their FAQ:

      Q: I like what you are doing and want to contribute. But I don't have any CDs. How else can I contribute.
      A: We are willing to pay for the shipping of these FREE CDs as long as we can. So, you can donate shipping material, stamps and the like. Please contact us for the details.
    4. Re:donate used by wazza · · Score: 1

      Yeah, that's something that worried me a bit too when I read the details on their site.

      Perhaps a better donation/gift would be a nice, reasonably fast (10 or 12x) cd-r drive, plus, as each distro releases it's newest and latest over the months, a CD-R 'master' of each new distro? This'd mean they could rapidly burn off large numbers of the most recent, bug-free distros, using blanks donated by other people. Your gift is the bandwidth taken to d/l the latest ISOs.

      Just an idea...

  22. you forgot one of the prongs by www.sorehands.com · · Score: 2
    Criminal justice and prosecution is not just to punish for one criminal act. By prosecuting this act, it will deter others from doing the same.


    This is given what he actually did was a crime and his intent was to release the scripts as opposed to just warning them about a hole in security.

    1. Re:you forgot one of the prongs by mj6798 · · Score: 2
      Criminal justice and prosecution is not just to punish for one criminal act. By prosecuting this act, it will deter others from doing the same.

      If he had carried out his intent, his actions would have been actionable under copyright law. But if we make a habit of punishing "intent" before it has been carried out, we are getting dangerously close to some kind of thought police.

      Now, that leaves hacking into what appears to be a poorly protected web server and letting the sysop know about it. Throwing the book at people who do that seems dangerous to me, not because people who do that deliberately are nice, but because the book might be thrown at you or me. I have gotten Perl sources and other "secret" information sent back to me from poorly configured sites. Don't believe for a moment that a good prosecutor together with an IT manager who wants to avoid looking bad to his management can't get you convicted on bogus charges.

      People who make a substantial effort to break into well-protected and important computer systems should get prosecuted. This case still seems like a waste of time and money to me.

    2. Re:you forgot one of the prongs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      IIS servers are, almost by definition, poorly protected.

  23. Re:Dear Ann Landers by negacao · · Score: 1

    What in the hell is going on with slashdot? Where are all these maniacs/morons coming from? Dear lord, maybe it's time to implement something similar to a log-in required for posting.

  24. WTC Life by sulli · · Score: 2, Interesting

    that's really sweet. brings back some good memories of my days in lower Manhattan (walking thru the WTC plaza to work near City Hall). Everyone should download, watch, and save this. Also Robert: send it to one of the news stations, I bet they'll play it at the end of a news broadcast.

    --

    sulli
    RTFJ.
  25. Web sites by Phroggy · · Score: 3

    Here's mine.

    ...stupid lameness filter.

    --
    $x='S24;r)>63/* h@<5+oZ)32"5cz';$me='phroggy'x$];
    $x=~y+ -xz+\0-Tx+;print$_^chop$me for split'',$x;
  26. The Internet Archive is no archive by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative
    The Internet Archive is not an archive.

    An archive must collect and preserve information.

    The Internet Archive has failed to preserve most of what it has collected. Preservation does not get them attention and so they don't do it.

    The early years of the archive are on the cheapest DLT's made and are stored on the floor of a basement that floods. And we're talking several years stored this way.

    Cheap tapes plus moisture means bit rot. Enormous amounts of the archive are gone because of this.

    So anyone with the means of doing an archive shouldn't say "oh, I don't need to do this because the archive is already taking care of it."

    Don't believe it. They've lost much of what they claim to have preserved.

  27. Re:Am I the only one... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Flamebait

    who profitted most from the wtc bombings?

    Gary Condit, the California congressman and mistress murderer, whose bizarre sexual practices are no longer front page follies?

    George Bush, the "unelected" President, who now has approval ratings higher than any of his predecessors could have dreamed possible?

    The Defense and Intelligence industry, after years of scandals, fuckups, embarrassments, and dwindling budgets, they've been given a blank check and new powers?

    Rudy Guliani, the mayor who made New York livable again, but then was sidelined by term limits, prostate cancer, and a divorce, who is now seen as one of the greatest mayors ever and may be re-elected by unorganized writeins?

    Or VA Linux, whose slash.org web log recieved more "hits" in the days following the crash as they had the previous 3 months, and whose imminent Nasdaq delisting was put on hold?

  28. This WTCrelated page should DEFINITELY be archived by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=21789&cid=2323 425 Very poignant and moving, definite enduring historical value.

  29. Re:Am I the only one... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    so do you have a point or what?

  30. Re:Am I the only one... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I think it was a conspiracy among all of the above. CmdrTaco himself flew the planes into the towers. Yes, both of them, dammit!

    So who is this "CmdrTaco" who has taken his holy place?

  31. Re:Am I the only one... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why don't we bulldoze YOUR house and give it back to the fucking indians ok fag.

  32. When will people learn? by update() · · Score: 2
    I don't know why it's so difficult for people to grasp this:

    Do not intrude into or modify systems unless it's been made explicitly clear that you're allowed to do so.

    You think you should be allowed to do something? You have some silly-ass analogy regarding doorknobs and windows to explain why you're doing a public service? It doesn't matter. You're going to get yourself in trouble. Is that really so hard to comprehend?

    1. Re:When will people learn? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I agree. And am I the only one to find it ironic that this generation's finest minds still insist on analogizing between computer systems and buildings?

  33. ok, so I'm an idiot -- from moderator by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    after pulling down the menu to moderate this up,
    I hit the scroll bar on my mouse without noticing... and it obviously landed on "Troll" !!

    Damage done, I am not allowed to re-mod this now =(

    damn MS and their freaking evil mouse scrollers!! ;)

  34. Re:Am I the only one... by coreyb · · Score: 1

    I don't think there was anything that bizzare about Condit's sexual practices. Men dating younger women is pretty common. Granted, he was her boss, but that doesn't make the sex bizzare.

  35. Re:Am I the only one... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Because my land wasn't stolen from the indians. Just think was a statement that would make to the world... the US is finally going to be a good world citizen and take care of the environment. What a great memorial to the people who died in the WTC. The return of land back to nature and the natural citizens.

    I truly think that would be the beginning of dismantaling a lot of the disgusing, polluting cities and returning to a simpler way of life.

    The indians have much to teach us, much to teach us.

  36. Re:Am I the only one... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's pretty bizarre to kill your partner during sex, chop up the body, and slowly roast the pieces until there's nothing left.

    But maybe you're into that.

  37. Re:Donate Via http://www.freelinuxcd.org/donate.ph by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    How many people out there can afford a computer but can't afford a few dollars for a CD? More than zero? Who is this donation going to help, exactly?

  38. Re:Am I the only one... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Michael couldn't go, because he cut himself with the box cutter.

  39. Re:Am I the only one... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So where did your land come from then dipshit?

    What you think the suburban sprawl is good for the environment you silly little fuck?

    get real.

  40. Re:Am I the only one... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ya i bet the indians could make one hell of a nice casino on manhattan island. ooh and think of all the tax free cigarettes they could sell!

  41. Re:Am I the only one... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    No, you're not.

  42. Re:There is no such thing as racism against blacks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    England, where car bombs are a daily fact of life, and children are stoned while trying to go to school since two versions of Christianity can't coexist?

    Um ... you might be thinking of Northern Ireland there.

  43. What about all the copy-protected streams? by t · · Score: 4, Interesting
    I can't believe no talks of this. What if all images had this kind of copy-protection built in? No one would have been able to save any images. Not to mention that none of this mirrors would have existed.

    I think we should have a public archive law. All media that is distributed with copyright protection desired must make an archivable version of it available after N years. If the big money can shove stupid laws at us, we don't we shove some useful laws right back at them.

    t.

    1. Re:What about all the copy-protected streams? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If the big money can shove stupid laws at us, we don't we shove some useful laws right back at them.

      Because we don't have big money. (or big voices)

    2. Re:What about all the copy-protected streams? by Ed+Avis · · Score: 2

      If the Web were run properly, 'archive projects' like this wouldn't be needed. Any half-decent website should have its own archive of content, and not break links by suddenly removing pages that used to be there.

      --
      -- Ed Avis ed@membled.com
  44. Re:Am I the only one... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    You know you've got a good point when the ACs come out of the woodwork to flame the fuck out of you.

    Tell it, brother!

  45. WTC Life : Pul-leeze ! by Rosco+P.+Coltrane · · Score: 2, Flamebait
    Okay, so we're all shocked by the WTC disaster (and the Pentagon attack too, although all media channels seem to blissfully ignore it for lack of terrible images to broadcast, but I digress). We've all donated blood and $$$, everybody is angry at the terrorists, Laden or someone else, America and its allies are determined to squash all terrorism (but the IRA) and everybody agrees with this.

    Now, can we PLEASE do away with footages with shitty violonist music over it and stop pretending it's moving ? When will video and cinema people realize that a bland piece of tape isn't turned into a piece of art just because they slap a Schinlder's list soundtrack on top of it ?

    --
    "A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
    1. Re:WTC Life : Pul-leeze ! by fizban · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Do you live in New York? Did you used to walk through the Trade Center every day? Or see it from your office window? Or work on one of it's floors? Do you have any connection to it at all? If you did, you might understand that even "shitty" videography and "sappy" music can really have an impact, especially on those of us who had a close connection with a place that is now totally gone.

      Have some respect.

      --

      +1 Insightful, -1 Troll. What can I say, I'm an Insightful Troll.

    2. Re:WTC Life : Pul-leeze ! by crulx · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Only when we realize that every little scrap of something that people put there heart and love into is art, will anything change in this world. Maybe this wasn't great art, (there were some interesting camera shots), but you need a serious attitude adjustment to say that this wasn't even artistic. I know only this one thing. Until we understand and believe that every little thing that people create with their emotions, time, passion and love is art and respected for the effort the artist made, and until we all wake up and realize that the only thing worth doing is art, will we never be free of all of our hate, prejudice, intolerance, wars, poverty, and destruction.

      May you find the way.

      Jt

    3. Re:WTC Life : Pul-leeze ! by ljagged · · Score: 2, Interesting
      That's an awfully weak definition of art. How do you define 'heart' or 'love'? If I take a baby and, with much heart and love, carve it up on video, is that art?

      I think what the previous poster was referring to is people's tendency to mistake mawkishness for profundity, which, I admit, is tiring. For example,

      America
      how I
      love your bold bravitude
      and the ideals
      that make you the gratest [sic]
      country in the world
      May you live


      forever
      Now, that's a shite poem. But, by virtue of being patriotic in this time of national fragility, it's beyond criticism.

      Wanker: Um, dude. That poem sucks.
      Me: Apparently you don't realise the heart and love I put into that poem. Maybe it's not great art, but you need a serious attitude adjustment to say that it's not artistic. I know one thing... Until we understand and believe that every little thing that people create with their emotions, time, passion and love is art and respected for the effort the artist made, and until we all wake up and realise that the only thing worth doing is art, we will never be free of all of our hate, prejudice, intolerance, wars, poverty and destruction.

      --
      Ceci n'est pas une .signature
    4. Re:WTC Life : Pul-leeze ! by armb · · Score: 1

      > and the Pentagon attack too, although all media channels seem to blissfully ignore it for lack of terrible images to broadcast

      Many fewer people were killed there, there may be security reasons for keeping detail quiet, AFAIK there hasn't been any suggestion the damaged section should be redesigned, and when you're trying to unite the world behind you concentrating on the victims who weren't connected with the American military looks better.
      There were civilian casualties at the Pentagon too, of course, and all the victims' families suffered just as much as the WTC victims' families, but it still doesn't generate the same outrage.
      I'm cynical enough to suspect that's the main reason. On the other hand I care more about the WTC because my sister-in-law worked near there. She's ok, but the building she worked in has since come down too. I don't know anyne who worked in the Pentagon. Given the relative numbers of people in or close to the two buildings, lots of other people are going to be in similar situations.

      See http://www.spaceimaging.com/newsroom/attack_galler y.htm to see the relevent areas, before and after.

      --
      rant
    5. Re:WTC Life : Pul-leeze ! by crulx · · Score: 1

      There is no love in torturing babies, and don't even pretend that there is. You tread perilously close to Godwin's Law.

      Critisim is great! Yes, bad art exists. And as reasoning entities we must decide what we like and what we do not like. Critisize it all you want. It is your right to. And I fully respect and am a proud member of people who think that just because we have entered whatever we have entered here, we still have the right and the duty to criticize what we feel is wrong with the world.

      But you said the video was NOT art. And let me be blunt here. I say, Fuck that!

      You mistake the finger for that which is being pointed at.

      Jt

    6. Re:WTC Life : Pul-leeze ! by ljagged · · Score: 1
      I never said that the video wasn't art. I just said that the criteria presented above for what makes art didn't work very well. That is to say, commenting that heart and love are necessary and sufficient conditions for art to be produced is specious.


      If we were to discover that Edvard Munch's "The Scream" were not made with heart and love, but rather a smothering dread and intense claustrophobia, would that mean that it wasn't art? Of course not. Therefore love and heart aren't necessary. On the other hand there are plenty of people who claim that Andres Serrano's "Piss Christ" isn't art simply because it's an image of a crucifix submerged in his (then pregnant) wife's urine. Interviews with him indicate that he wasn't attempting to be blasphemous -- the extra chemicals in his wife's urine due to her gravid condition produced a colour that Serrano found appealing. So, it's arguable that love and heart aren't sufficient. If they are neither necessary nor sufficient, they are simply not meaningful. It's just as appropriate to say that giraffes and bananas are needed for art.


      And, incidentally, infant sacrifice has been with us for a long time. In Tunisia, around the time of the Roman Republic, the natives worshipped a pair of gods named Baal-Hamon and Tanit. They put their first born children in the arms of large statues of Baal-Hamon and lit a fire underneath the statue. When the metal heated up, the arms separated and the infant was dropped into the fire. There's a long standing connection between art and the divine -- in fact, many artists and philosophers use divinity, rather than heart and love, as the defining criterion for art.


      Finally, if you use 'love and heart' as the defining criteria for art, then, since there's no empirical way of determining whether something possesses those antecedent qualities, there's no way of determining whether something is art. The only recourse is to admit everything into the realm of art. At this point, the term 'art' ceases to be meaningful since it's just a synonym for 'everything'.

      --
      Ceci n'est pas une .signature
    7. Re:WTC Life : Pul-leeze ! by unitron · · Score: 2
      "...bold bravitude..."

      For a moment there I thought it was from one of shrub's speeches, or one of SNL's takeoffs.

      --

      I see even classic Slashdot is now pretty much unusable on dial up anymore.

  46. Re:Am I the only one... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    no that's called flamebait or troll and should be modded as such.

  47. I actually found free linux cd's to be great help! by CrudPuppy · · Score: 1

    back in 1994-ish, there were a few geek advocates of linux on my Uni campus giving away free linux cd's.

    You'd be really surprised how much less apprehensive someone is about installing linux when you compare the case where they have to seek out the cd online and buy it for $1 to that of the case where they get one for free.

    although, I'm thinking my friends' disks mostly got used as coasters, since the people he was giving them to were not really interested in the first place =/

    --
    A year spent in artificial intelligence is enough to make one believe in God.
  48. Re:Am I the only one... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    so how do you propose we live instead? hmmm? well genius please enlighten us...

  49. Re:Am I the only one... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Please read some anthropolgy and history books. That way by the time you attend college you will have a clue about reality and won't embarass yourself with foolish pseudo intellectual musings on civilization. thanks.

  50. Re:Am I the only one... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What you think the suburban sprawl is good for the environment you silly little fuck?

    We don't need suburban sprawl. You need to get away from the modern "5000 square foot house" and think back to simpler times. Why do we need 5000 square foot houses? The indians live in teepees that are only about 20 square feet, yet they live richer lives than we can imagine. What they lack in square footage the more than make up in community. How much community do you share with YOUR neighbors? Your house might as well be a security prison.

    We need to move back toward a simpler life that embraces nature, not spits on her.

  51. WTC Image Now Transfixing by istartedi · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I wanted to watch just for the reason of being able to go back there, to understand what it was like and what had happened

    A few days ago, I walked by a local picture-framing store. They were selling a large framed picture of the skyline with the WTC towers intact and distributing profits to charity. As people walked by many of them, myself included, stood there transfixed by the image. Otherwise busy people stared at it for as long as 5 minutes. It seems like when you look at it, you can almost live in the yesterday for just a few more minutes.

    --
    For all intensive purposes, "whom" is no longer a word. That begs the question, "who cares"?
  52. Re:Am I the only one... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Maybe you should study the culture of the true Americans: The Indians. They had the most advanced culture in the world, until we came and destroyed them. Why do we need 5000 square foot houses when the Indians can live in total harmony and peace in a 20 square foot teepee? That illustrates how far away we are from the level of civilization they attained.

    Just think how much more efficient the country would be if we eliminated the putrid cities and returned to a more natural, sustainable way of life. The Indians proved it can be done. They showed what the pinnacle of civilization looked like.

    I think it would be the ultimate testament to lives lost in the WTC incident to save the life of our Mother... Mother Earth.

  53. Re:Am I the only one... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    We should return to a simpler life: The life of the Indians. Why do we need 5000, 10000, 50000 square foot houses? The Indians reached the pinnacle of civilization in 20 square feet, and with a sense of community we can only dream about.

    Imagine all the cities being leveled, and instead giving everyone the most efficient living conditions every devised by man: The teepee. There would be no more homelessness. No more poverty, because you could set down your teepee wherever you were. That's all you would need, and you could live off the land like our ancestors.

    The indians proved it could be done. They achieved the highest level of civilization in the history of the world, until we came and destroyed it.

    Study them. Learn their wisdom. Embrace true civilization.

  54. Re:Am I the only one... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Well let me bring back that great native american spirit by scalping you and raping your mom, cheers!

  55. Re:Am I the only one... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That actually brings up one of my pet peeves: The indians NEVER, EVER scalped anyone. That is a myth created by the white man to give them an excuse to exterminate them and steal their land. There is not one -- NOT ONE -- documented case of an Indian ever murdering a white man. NOT ONE.

    The Indians achieved a level of peace and contentment that is utterly amazing. If only the white man had embraced their perfect way of life, rather than enforcing their European ways -- namely, the European penchent for genocide.

  56. Re:Am I the only one... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Uh OK douchebag. I invite you to set up your fucking teepee when it's the middle of January here in Massachusetts/New Hampshire. You'll go running back to the heated bedroom you're typing in now, I guarentee it. Do you know how cold it gets? I'd love to see you survive in your leather chaps or whatever the hell you injins wear.

  57. Re:Am I the only one... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You don't understand the simple, yet sublimely perfect engineering of the teepee. How many Indians do you think froze to death in that area? None, that's how many, because they knew how to work WITH the land, rather than against it. "Heated bedrooms" are working against nature. They make you weak and thin blooded. When you embrace nature, you are able to become a tougher breed of human, like the Indians.

  58. Re:Am I the only one... by orangesquid · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Damn, Who isn't?

    I mean....

    --
    --TheOrangeSquid Is it any wonder things seem so awry? We swim in a sea of confusion and don't have to think to survive
  59. Re:Am I the only one... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    why don't you go to a reservation and suck some cock.

    Your indian fantasies are pretty sad.

  60. Re:Am I the only one... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So why aren't YOU in a teepee right NOW instead of posting to slashdot?

  61. Re:Am I the only one... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Because the capitalist system has enforced ownership of all land. If I could put down a teepee in the park, I would, but unfortunately it's not allowed.

    The land must be given back to Mother Nature, the way it was intended. The Indians understood this.

  62. Re:Am I the only one... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Nice excuse. That's lame. You know damn well if you where for real you could hike so far off into the mountains no one would be able to find you. Face it you're all talk, and you really don't beleive it otherwise you would have disappeared off into the wilderness instead of sitting inside using a computer.

  63. Re:Am I the only one... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm not saying we should necessarily give up computers and the Internet. Once we achieved the level of civilization of the Indians, the Internet will allow all the mini-tribes of the world to synergize into one mega-tribe. The community was the most important thing to an indian. A vast community of tribes linked together through the Internet would allow for an incredible sharing of culture.

    Sure, I could go off in the woods and set up my teepee. But my doing doesn't save the earth -- it needs a commitment by everyone to do the right thing and embrace the true way of life.

    I've also though of relocating to an Indian reservation, but as Jesus said -- you go where the sinners are. It doesn't do any good to preach to the converted. The white man are the ones who need to embrace Mother Nature.

  64. Re:Am I the only one... by coreyb · · Score: 1

    I don;'t think they know that.
    And anyway, it was just that one time.

  65. pled guilty to lesser charge != guilty by nels_tomlinson · · Score: 3, Insightful
    West pled guilty to a misdemeanor, rather than risk getting a felony conviction. For poor folks without a lawyer (or without the money to keep the lawyer on the case month after month after month), this is the normal thing to do when one is innocent and wrongly accused of a felony. It is also the normal course of action for crooks who are rightly accused. He pled guilty, but we still haven't a clue whether this is a case of a crooked DA trying to avoid looking bad, or a crooked cracker getting off easy.


    The biggest problem here is that we really don't know who to believe. Given the choice between believing a U.S. district attorney and some slightly scummy small-time crook, we really don't know which to take. The U.S. government has a long history of bad behavior. (Think about the secret experiments (also here and here) in the '50s, in which people were exposed to radiation ... the ones for which the government began making restitution recently, when reports began to emerge. Think about J. Edgar Hoover's FBI. Think about the entire Justice Department over the last eight years. Think abou the IRS since its inception.) There just isn't any room to automatically assume that a responsible government employee isn't trying to cover up a mistake at West's expense, just because he can.

    The good scenario here is that West is a petty crook who's getting a break because it's his first offence. The bad scenario is that the DA realised that if he dropped this, he'd look like an idiot, so he's threatened a poor innocent guy into pleading guilty to a crime he didn't commit, just to save the DA some embarassment. And it looks as if we'll never be sure.

    1. Re:pled guilty to lesser charge != guilty by unitron · · Score: 2

      It would be interesting to know if he was actually guilty or just pled that way 'cause F. Lee Bailey wasn't available for a little pro bono. I wonder if part of the plea bargain was a gag clause to keep us from ever finding out.

      --

      I see even classic Slashdot is now pretty much unusable on dial up anymore.

  66. Re:Am I the only one... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Excuses, excuses...

    When you start fantasizing about living in a internet enabled teepee so you can have a feeling of community that's a sign that you really need to get out more...

    Don't blame capitalism for your lack of social interaction.

  67. The MPAA stands to gain the most with SSSCA by yerricde · · Score: 2

    who profitted most from the wtc bombings? Gary Condit?

    Last time we had both a sex scandal and a war at the same time (i.e. lewinsky + kosovo), Congress managed to slip two bad laws onto the books: the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. This time, disney and the rest of MPAA are shooting for getting the pro-obsecurity SSSCA passed. To make it look less like an IP bill, MPAA has added anti-cracking riders.

    --
    Will I retire or break 10K?
  68. Heres another site with plenty of photos by msim · · Score: 1

    Sydney Morning Herald online www.smh.com.au had plenty of images of the wtc, including the accident itself, the rescue effort, international reactions, etc..

    http://www.smh.com.au/news/0109/28/world/index.htm l

    these images REALLY bring out the feeling of the whole event.

    b.t.w. the photos are in the far right column.

    --

    Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know when your gonna get food poisoning.
    1. Re:Heres another site with plenty of photos by Emil+Brink · · Score: 1

      Why do people so often refer to this incident using the word accident? I thought accidents were, um, accidental, and it seems fairly clear (to me) that the attack against the WTC was anything but. Just a thinko, or what?

      --
      main(O){10<putchar(4^--O?77-(15&5128 >>4*O):10)&&main(2+O);}
  69. How do you know it isn't "to U.S."? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's All your base are belong to us! not All your base are belong to U.S.!

    The game says it in all caps: "ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US" which can be interpreted either way. I tend to think of the Zero Wing story thus: In A.D. 2101, a reverse Pearl Harbor was beginning. Cats (Katz?) is the new leader of the United States armed forces, and Japan has to defend itself with its Zig fighters. The GameFAQs page tells a similar story.

  70. True! by Dwonis · · Score: 2

    Especially once you've installed Debian! Nearly everything you ever wanted is just an apt-get away!

  71. In defense of Brian K. West by teambpsi · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The government frequently coerces individuals into plea bargains for actual crimes not committed.

    I suspect, and we have not hear from Brian in this case since the legalese, but it certainly could have stemmed from a converstation such as:

    FEDS: "Did you download the PERL code?"

    BKW: "yes, by clicking on the link i was able to view the code and save it to disk as proof of the security hole"

    FEDS: "could you have modified that code?"

    BKW: "yes, anyone could have?

    FEDS: "the plaintiff contends that the PERL code in question is worth at least $5000. Could you have modfied that code and profited from such modfications?"

    BKW: "i could have, but my intention was to notify the newspaper and let them know of the security breach"

    FEDS: "no further questions"

    How easily this crowd is swayed from one side to the other. For once, think about your own actions. The concept of "downloading" and "accessing" a password file and then "logging into unauthorized areas" of a website -- give me a break. "Authorization" is based on who as the password, however it may have been obtained. If you have a hole in your security, fix it. "proper access" is another matter, but even there, it is amorphous. A trusted employee one day can become a "non-trusted" ex-employee the next. There are no "tangible trust tokens" to speak of. Its all a matter of perspective.

    Did Brian actually *MODIFY* or DEFACE the site? Does it really matter what his *INTENTIONS* or *CAPABILITIES* were?

    In this country our rule of law is based on evidence, not "possible evidence" -- I think about setting off fireworks in the state of Minnesota every Fourth of July -- i have access to "illegal" fireworks over the border in Wisonsin year-round. I have "intention" to set them off -- but I don't actually do it. Am I guilty?

    When I contacted the Poteau Daily News after this story broke, they categorically denied that Mr. Burchett contacted the FBI, but rather stated that the hosting ISP had initiated the prosecution, a copy of that letter follows:

    My point? If you're going to light the torches and burn someone to the stake, at least make sure you're not a pyromaniac.

    -d

    Date: Sun, 19 Aug 2001 09:27:26 -0500
    From: Poteau Daily News & Sun <pdns@pdns.com>
    To: Team BPSI <team@backpack.net>
    Subject: Re: Confirmation please

    [ The following text is in the "iso-8859-1" character set. ]
    [ Your display is set for the "US-ASCII" character set. ]
    [ Some characters may be displayed incorrectly. ]

    The Poteau Daily News does not own or manage the web server that is in
    question and did not contact any authorities in this case. The sever is
    located, owned, and managed by the local ISP.

    At the time of this incident there was some propieritary software being used
    in conjuction with this site (the software is NOT the property of the Poteau
    Daily News). What the story posted by Brian West, does not talk about is
    that the propiertary software was downloaded from the server and at the time
    of the FBI investigation, it was found in the possesion of Mr. West.

    Mr Burchett did not contact any authorities, they were contacted by the
    local ISP. And at this time Mr. Burchett is no longer at the Poteau Daily
    News, not for any thing concerning this matter.

    The Poteau Daily News is not involved in this case at all.

    ----- Original Message -----
    From: "Team BackPack" <team@backpack.net>
    To: <pdns@pdns.com>; <publisher@pdns.com>
    Sent: Saturday, August 18, 2001 11:03 PM
    Subject: Confirmation please

    http://www.linuxfreak.org/post.php/08/17/2001/13 4. html

    please confirm/comment on the validity of this story

    --

    Old age and treachery almost always overcome youth and skill.
    1. Re:In defense of Brian K. West by Keith_Beef · · Score: 1

      Hmm...

      ...burn someone to the stake...

      Would it interest anybody to know that the French word "poteau" can mean stake?

  72. On further reflection.... by teambpsi · · Score: 2, Interesting


    If he was going to modify the script for profit, WTF would he notify the newspaper of the security hole?

    I mean really, can anyone be _THAT_ arrogant and stupid?

    Oh wait...who am i preaching to ;)

    </flamebait off>

    --

    Old age and treachery almost always overcome youth and skill.
  73. Re:Am I the only one... by Mr.+Foogle · · Score: 1

    No one is keeping you from that you know.

    Then, once you're out in the howling wilderness you'll leave the rest of us alone.

    --
    Display some adaptability.
  74. Re:Am I the only one... by Mr.+Foogle · · Score: 1

    Why, THAT'S funny.

    I have several volume of history that report, mostly based on eye-witness accounts of the survivors (if any) or their rescuers of Indians doing exactly that. Scalping that is.

    That the "indians" never murdered a "white man" .. absurdity so false as to be parody.

    The "white man" simply did to the indians what they'd been doing to each other for thousands of years. They just did it much more efficiently and more compassion.

    Jeezus. Peace and contentment my ass. To pick an obvious case - the Karankawas (living in the swamps on the Texas Gulf coast) were cannibals.

    --
    Display some adaptability.
  75. Re:Am I the only one... by Mr.+Foogle · · Score: 1

    Manhatten wasn't a nature preserve, fool. It was a howling wilderness peopled by savages, and not many of them at that.

    I'd think better of you if you weren't contributing to the very process you decry. Fool.

    --
    Display some adaptability.
  76. Re:they don't need blood anymore by Tyrall · · Score: 1

    That's crap.

    Yes, the people at ground zero right now aren't going to need blood, but the (hundreds of?) people who sustained burns or injuries will.

    Burns victims need a lot of plasma products, and a lot of blood is used in operations. Their already low stocks will have likely been wiped out on day 1 by the influx of injured.

    Keep giving blood - those who pushed back elective surgery for the emergency cases will appreciate it.

  77. GPL is virotic by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    However, since the GPL is virotic, someone donating such a Linux pest would make more harm to the victim.

    Maybe a better blood (better in all the meanings, particularly in the "free" rating) need to be used. I'd suggest any kind of BSD (b doesn't stand for blood or rh factors).

  78. FreeBSDcd.org by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why all this biasing towards Linux? It's not a good kernel, and the distros are [mostly] oriented to [clueless] newbies, not to mission critical and professional use. For people searching for serious, hard tested and reliable free Unix systems, the best approach seems to be FreeBSD (NetBSD and OpenBSD and nice too). So, why does this site have such an involvement with Linux?

  79. Brian West by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    it's amazing how a group of people idiots can get overzealous in prosecuting someone before they understand or know the whole story. damn government. oh...what second...that was you guys!!! i am glad to see a community to rush over to someones defense without even knowing the whole story...

  80. Slashdot interview? by Pseudonymus+Bosch · · Score: 2

    What about a Slashdot interview with Bin Laden?

    Would the Slashdotters be able to get something interesting out of him?

    --
    __
    Men with no respect for life must never be allowed to control the ultimate instruments of death.
    GW Bu
    1. Re:Slashdot interview? by Kris_J · · Score: 2
      Would the Slashdotters be able to get something interesting out of him?
      You mean like his lattitude and Longtitude, accurate to within 5 meters?
  81. MOD PARENT UP by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This is a great idea. I too thought old CDs had vulnerabilities, but hey, they're asking for them.

  82. Brian West by HiThere · · Score: 2

    So either the press was promulgating lies before, or it's promulgating lies now.

    You choose which to believe from a field of lies. Truth may possibly be present. But perhaps not.

    If Mr. West pleaded guilty, then it was likely to be the result of plea bargaining. This doesn't seem to have any relationship to what he did, or didn't do. Merely to how much he was threatened, and how capable he felt of defending himself. And what the DA felt he could get away with.

    I accept that he might be guilty. I also accept that he might not. And I have no reasonable basis on which to choose between those two positions. Plea bargaining has thoroughly corrupted our legal system. The best bet is that everybody's lying.

    --

    I think we've pushed this "anyone can grow up to be president" thing too far.
  83. CDs to donate by sharkey · · Score: 2

    If you have been thinking about contributing CDs, it is the best time to do so.

    I have a large number of AOL CDs, back to version 5.0. Will these work?

    --

    --
    "Outlook not so good." That magic 8-ball knows everything! I'll ask about Exchange Server next.
  84. I disagree by sulli · · Score: 2
    I found it quite moving, because I'd been there so frequently, and because now the images of the location are so completely different (and so awful). Having seen the skeleton of that one tower repeatedly for two weeks now, it's very meaningful to see them whole again, full of life.

    What's most interesting about this piece is that it's totally accidental. The author was never intending to make it a tribute - when he shot it, it was just footage of a place he liked. But now, because it's gone, it suddenly means a lot more.

    For another example, next time you're in NYC, take a train to Pennsylvania Station. As you walk around that low-ceilinged, crowded, user-hostile concourse, look around for the B&W photos on some of the pillars. This used to be there, until they tore it down in 1963.

    --

    sulli
    RTFJ.
  85. Re:Am I the only one... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Don't forget to add in the airline industry, that has shed a collective 80-100K jobs in the last two weeks, while getting a nice lump of change as well as loan guarantees...

  86. Re:First Pr0st by Yebyen · · Score: 1

    Sounds like my kinda fun.

    --
    Restating the obvious since nineteen aught five.
  87. Re:Am I the only one... by unitron · · Score: 2
    He was not her boss, she was an intern with the Bureau of Prisons (until they found out that she was graduating from wherever she went to college, at which point she was no longer elegible to be an intern).

    She was, however, from his congressional district, so he was her very own personal congresscritter.

    If she was just a 24 year old regular employee of the Bureau of Prisons and was from some other congressional district, the various media wouldn't have been able to run all those stories with "Congressman", "Intern", and "Sex" in them, and would have had to content themselves with running stories with "Congressman", and "Sex" in them, which wouldn't have been quite as good for 'round the clock coverage. "Intern" is so good for conjuring up the impression of someone vulnerable and very underage.

    Of course if she had been a 24 year old high school teacher having an affair with a 16 or 17 year old boy, the same folks talking as though Conduit was a child molester wouldn't have kept referring to her as a "young girl who was taken advantage of", but as a grownup fully responsible for her actions.

    The horror of September 11 may well have gotten Condit off the hook and may even save his political career--he is on the House Intelligence Committee, and should be able to exploit that. "Don't rock the boat while there's a war on!"

    --

    I see even classic Slashdot is now pretty much unusable on dial up anymore.