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Slashback: Wireless, Gasoline, Prevarication
It's not a feature, it's a bug.
A representative from Macrovision writes "This statement is being issued to address some concerns that were recently aired on Slashdot with regards to the copy protection of some music CDs, the new Beastie Boys CD in Europe in particular.
Macrovision does NOT install any spyware, shareware, malware or any self-replicating code of any kind onto a user's PC.
When playing a (Macrovision CDS-200) copy-protected CD for the first time, playback software components may be installed, if needed. This software is used to enable the on-disc music player to load an on-screen user interface and to play back the audio. For further information, please contact: cds-info@macrovision.com."
Seems to me that a CD which that requires any software installed for it to be played by a standard CD drive is by definition at least "brokenware," or perhaps "meddleware." What if it's being used in a computer without an operating system supported by these "playback software components"?
Definitional evasion aside, so far CD "copy protection" is mostly about as effective as critics proclaim it to be: ptorrone writes "There has been a lot of talk about the copy protection on the new CD 'Contraband' from Velvet Revolver, but for us we didn't have any problems making MP3s for all our devices despite their efforts to stop us it seems. Here's our story..."
MSN Search pales next to Google, so far. An anonymous reader writes "Reported earlier today here on Slashdot, MSN is preparing a new search engine which is set to knock Google's socks off. However, early results show that not only is the new algorithm lacking enough smarts to knock Google as king, it doesn't even compete with the current MSN algorithm."
Open wide and say "ARRL!" dos4who writes "Well, the ARRL Field Day 2004 results are in, and posted on The The American Radio Relay League website. In the Single Operator High-Power class, congratulations to W5ZN for logging a score well over 600,000!
I had the opportunity to witness the Abbotsford, British Columbia club in action, and it was an awesome experience. Just the sight of all those massive antennae clustered on one field invoked visions of E.T. popping in for a visit."
And william_lorenz writes "Our own group from Ohio made contacts all over the United States and had a great time doing it, camping out in tents and running multiple battery-operated radios and make-shift antennas throughout the day and night. We even played with some Slow Scan TV! What are your stories?"
Seems unlikely it's the only country not to have done so ... bluethundr writes "On the flipside of a story from yesterday the Register reports today: 'Malam Nuhu Ribadu says Nigeria is the only country in the world that has failed to apply special laws or establish dedicated "front offices" to combat the crimes.'"
Are you pumping what you think you're pumping? couch_warrior writes "It was noted in a recent /. inquiry that EPA estimates of mileage vary from real-life experience. While there are several factors that can affect this, one major but often overlooked factor is that the amount of gasoline contained in a supposed 'gallon' varies by up to 10% due to gas pump fraud. Two illustrative stories show localized evidence of this scam, but few states regulate gas pumps effectively. The laws are on the books, but enforcement is typically lax. Cynics might speculate that this is because both the State and the Fed are getting a cut of the illegal proceeds. It is a way for them to increase the tax revenue on fuel, without taking the political hit for raising taxes. A challenge for /. readers -- go buy some gasoline in graduated containers, and check for yourself [avoid 1,5, and 10 gallon sizes; many states use these for testing purposes and the computers inside the pumps 'catch up' temporarily at these intervals]. Persons of conscience might feel motivated to flood their local state weights and measures bureau with complaints (if test results warranted :-)"
Never beam your secrets in a cornfield. bgumm writes "Hot on the heels of the Texas DOT's WiFi stories, here comes one from the corn state, Iowa. The Iowa DOT and an Iowan wireless network company, I-Spot Access, have partnered to offer WiFi at six highway rest stops across the state. USA Today picked up the story, as did the Des Moines Register..."
And for those in a state too backward to have rest-stop WiFi just yet, Porsupah writes "WirelessWeek is reporting that Ricochet has been sold on again; this time, to YDI Wireless. Bay Area readers may fondly remember the company as bringing flat-rate 28.8k wireless connectivity to all of the area several years ago for $30/mo, before expanding aggressively to cover several other major US metropolitan areas, financed by MCI, with a nominal 128kbps service at $75/mo. After bankruptcy, Aerie Networks bought some of the remnants, relaunched in San Diego and Denver, and then.. nothing. What next?"
It's all lies.
From the FlexBeta article:
Microsoft is working on a new search engine algorithm which is supposed to compete with Google, now that they have upped their hotmail storage in responce to Gmail's arrival.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but Hotmail has upgraded neither their free accounts nor their paid accounts as of yet. I'm still stuck at 78%, and I have no more than a few MB of mail in my hotmail account.
If it's not redbook, it's not a CD!
This comment does not necessarily represent the views and opinions of the author.
...always gas up in 10-gallon increments.
I haven't seen the software myself, nor yet found a detailed technical analysis, so I can only speculate beyond that point. But from the descriptions I've seen, I would not doubt that it continues running, even when the CD is not actually playing, using some amount of memory and some small number of CPU cycles. Can you imagine if every audio CD you own installed its own little software in this manner? Personally, I own around 300 CDs, which is not nearly as many as some of my friends. I surely wouldn't want 300 such applications intalled on my system!
...is total and complete FUD. Come on... they searched for "Olympic gold metals." You can't judge the accuracy of the search engine by a query that only finds mistakes. And the number-one Google result for "fastest processor currently available" claimed it to be the Athlon 1.3GHz.
Overall, the biggest problem with the new MSN search seems to be that it doesn't ignore words like "the" and "what" which shouldn't be in your search in the first place. I hate Microsoft and their anticompetitive tactics just as much as the next guy, but how is this article any better?
Karma: Segmentation fault (tried to dereference a null post)
Does anyone think that microsoft may try to capitalize on people's fears of Google having complete access to email and the like? Seems like it might be a good option for them to attempt even though it would be pure hypocrisy.
GroupShares Inc. - A Free and Interactive Stock Market Community
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artlu.net
A challenge for /. readers -- go buy some gasoline in graduated containers, and check for yourself [avoid 1,5, and 10 gallon sizes; many states use these for testing purposes and the computers inside the pumps 'catch up' temporarily at these intervals].
:-)
All right, from now on, whenever I buy gas, I'll make sure to buy exactly 5.000 gallons
I don't want to get ripped off.
Remember the days when Republicans were the party of fiscal responsibility?
seems to be the American way of doing buisness thesedays
How old are you? One?
Assuming this is correct, of course. Also, according to this, copyright protected discs are only banned from using the CDDA logo.
More accurately, "If it's not redbook, it's not CDDA!"
I've ALWAYS wondered whether or not I'm getting a full gallon, or how accurate those pumps are at gas stations. It doesn't really make me feel good to realize my paranoia was right. I mean it's SO easy, and can be done in such a way that's very hard to detect. If I cut 1 ounce on every gallon of gas I pump who is to say I did it and it isn't just the pump which is a bit inaccurate? Not that it matters, but there ought to be a way that our CARS can tell how much gas has been put into them.
"he drew his sword Ringil that glittered like ice... and he wounded Morgoth with seven wounds..."
I go to school in Iowa and my parents live in Texas, so I drive across both states pretty frequently. TxDOT doesn't spend a lot of money on rest stop maintenance, so there may be WiFi, but the bathrooms are nasty. (Iowa rest stops are very nicely outfitted, however, but that's not too surprising, since I-80 is one of the major freight corridors in the US.)
Dance like nobody's watching. Sing like you're in the shower. Fuck like you're being filmed.
That CD protection software doesn't sound like malware, but more like a step behind in programming by using proprietary software. Hopefully one day we can rid ourselves of proprietary things and get to using standards. I bet those CD decryptor programs are Windows-only also. Blargh...
'Yes, firefox is indeed greater than women. Can women block pops up for you? No. Can Firefox show you naked women? Yes.'
For those who travel cheap, a lot of KOAs are also being wired as hot spots. Unfortunately, the access charges tend to be rather steep. I was told at the KOA in Cedar City, Utah that it'd be $3.95 for one hour of access. I get the impression that flat-rate packages are a much better deal, though.
Microsoft delenda est!
EPA estimates of mileage vary from real-life experience
I've noticed this with my hummer. Its EPA highway mileage was 1.5 mpg but with a nice tail wind I can get it up to 1.7!
I think I'd be scared too if I saw a field full of gigantic insects
ahem.
The Xbox doesn't recognise all CDs out there - had a Smashmouth single I tried to read on my brothers' xbox and it wouldn't recognise it at all...
;^)
Just pointing this out as the link to the mp3's from Velvet Revolver story made it seem like the Xbox would work with every audio CD.
(and note to the Grammar Nazis - yes, it should be "brothers'" not "brother's" - I have 2 brothers who share the console
I like the old fashioned way of doing it. Just watering down the gas. No gimicky reprogramming of gas pump electronics.
You'd better know what you're doing, or you're wasting your time. According to the article:
I have a feeling that most "graduated containers" that people have are going to have the same issue. Then again, I imagine that the Slashdot community just might be made up of a slightly higher percentage of scientifically-minded individuals. ;-) So, perhaps a few of you might actually have a realistic chance at accuracy. Just bear in mind that the state is going to be using precisely-calibrated instruments, and know how to use them. You'd best do the same, or you'll just look like an idiot.