Slashdot Mirror
Software For Slackers: Lockout
Matijs van Zuijlen writes "Having trouble getting work done? Reading Slashdot too much? Lockout will enforce some dicipline. It will lock you out of your internet connection, and then lock you out of your root account so you can't unlock it. For a limited time of course. Use at your own peril."
Hello Knoppix boot CD....
Apparently it locks you out of this thread, too.
It goes from God, to Jerry, to me.
But I use the internet to _get_ work done! This would only help me slack and smoke more.
Sure, I'll get my work done MUCH faster, now that I can't use the internet...or the computer...
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
-Arthur C. Clarke
production servers for sure. I personally think this is a rather stupid idea. Why on earth you would allow this to run is beyond me. You have bigger issues than time management if you run this that is for sure.
but I need to post on slashdot first :)
you go the windows route, you reboot.
I just dont get it. And I cant go without ThinkGeek and Slashdot.
The obvious answer is to always log in as root, so you'll never have to worry about getting locked out!
Now, I haven't RTFA (I wouldn't feel good keeping my Slashdot ID if I did), but what if your job depends on your access to the internet? As in, a problem comes up at work, and you have to search google, or groups.google to find a quick answer?
Karma: Marginal (mostly due to the border around the website)
This is software for masochists. There is a less painful solution, which can also come with some nice 'features', if you choose wisely: get married.
Simpy
Why not just reach behind the machine and unplug the ethernet cable? Won't do much for people on wireless connections, of course....
there is still the small matter of the porn that's ALREADY been downloaded.
"The world is a construct of forceful imagination. Those who don't know walk around in the reailties of those who do"
Slashdot reports a 68.9% drop in server traffic in the hours of 9-5.....
-thewldisntenuff
My MythTV HowTo
Gnome (2.6) has an 'typing break' program built in. Find it in the Keyboard control panel applet.
It only locks you out of the current X session, though, so it's easy to work around... still, it works well as a reminder to leave the computer for a while.
Get some self control, dammit..
This is not really comparable to the utility described and is not supposed to teach you discipline, but here's some prank software for Windows. Advanced Clippy is the best-sounding one.
I think it'd be a better idea to build some discipline, than intentionally crippling your PC. What if you need access to some internet-bound information during your work?
Just pick an activity (jogging, gym, studying, whatever) and involve a friend in it - if two people , however slack, are depending on each other at a set time to show up, they'll have much better luck sticking to it than if they were alone. Not wanting to let a friend down and all that.
- HOORAY!
didn't read the article did ya?
A @reboot entry in root's crontab file ensures that rebooting your machine will put the original root password back in place.
Marge, get me your address book, 4 beers, and my conversation hat.
Just disconnect your network cable and give it to your boss telling him that you can't work with the internet distracting you. Problem solved. Unfortunately(!), I don't have the discipline to do even this.
flossie
Write now. Defend liberty
is called -- "Getting Fired!!!"
Take the cheese to sickbay, the doctor should see it as soon as possible - B'Elanna Torres, "Learning Curve"
RTFA, it resets on reboot. It also makes sure that crashes won't effect you...
Learn a little bit of self-discipline if you are a work time web junkie. Do you really need this on your machine? Sure, lots of safeguards to prevent it from irretrievably changing your root password (yeah, I RTFA'd), but how about this for two last sentences:
"Worst case scenario is that you have to reboot your computer. Well, that's not really true: worst case scenario is that things fail badly and you end up not knowing your root password. "
Well, you won't be browsing the web for quite some time while you restore from backup. Ooops, I forgot, you don't have enough self-discipline to keep from browsing the web and need a script to lock you out. Guess backing up would be asking way too much.
nospine -60 #locks out the user for 60 minutes
This will decrease my productivity even further!
Now I will not only waste my time reading and trolling in slashdot, but also by trying to hack this application.
And if I succeed, I will waste even more time bragging about it!
You see, I haven't even downloaded it, and I am already posting on slashdot!
Cheers,
Adolfo
But i was running Lockout, and I couldn't access port 80
I need the internet AND my root account (and several others) to do work. It sounds like it would only get people hard-rebooting to recover, perhaps doing more harm than good...
It's tragic. Laugh.
I bootleg Fizzy Lifting Drinks.
So, has Slashdot recently been forced to comply to some kinda of legal settlement terms similar to that of big tobacco?
You know: "Our product ruins your life; here's how to stop yourself from using us."
I can certainly relate to this problem having just "wasted" several hours and only just got around to browsing the web and reading email. But does anyone have a more practical solution? Prioritization is the key, but how to stick to it?
we see a lack of posts on the topic we know it's being tested and it works.
Or that this isn't all that newsworthy. Take your pick.
I use Verizon DSL.
Having trouble getting work done? Reading Slashdot too much?
Are you in need for Slashdot when you're forced offline? Download this first and you'll always have your fix.
Then again, you could just not use Lockout...
"A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
One idea I have thought of developing is a time-lock safe for a druggie to put their dope into. After an hour or a day or whatever, you can get your next fix.
To guarantee repeat sales, I would make it possible for somebody who is really Jonesing to pry it open with a screwdriver, damaging it. Then I can make a repeat sale! (Evil Laugh).
You have 10 computers? I can picture myself very clearly looking like a junkie in need of a fix, running to each of them trying to go to Slashdot! Hey common, who can live without it? Me?
When it suddenly kicks in when you're in the middle of someth(NO CARRIER)
...should probably take up gambling or politics. Welcome to Las Vegas, Mr. President.
well.. what does one do when you absolutely have to get into a time delayed safe instantly?
dunno actually, blow it up maybe.
world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
This sounds like fanastic fun at my old school...
This could also be great for some computer labs, as long as you could still access network resources like printers. Type the paper at home, print it in the lab (or dorm shared computer, or whatever).
Something like this is terrific for secure environments too. Guaranteed no internet connection or root powers, even with physical access. It's only a printer, calculator, or data entry computer for practical purposes.
I bet that in the days of free AOL minutes this could've saved me hundreds of dollars...
Webmaster Wanted - Entropic Reactions
My work computer has a HOSTS file with several hundred sites on it that I absolutely do not want to visit at work. Somehow I misspelled slashdot.org and I can still get here. :(
Boobies never hurt anyone. - Sherry Glaser.
Of course he didn't read it, how else was he supposed to make the FP?
LK
"Hi. This is my friend, Jack Shit, and you don't know him." - Lord Kano
Let's face it, it'll only give them time to develop new ways to terrorize their users. If they're not web browsing they'll only be reading people's email or planting porn in home directories.
For gods sake keep them occupied.
For all intensive porpoises your a bunch of rediculous loosers
If you are distracted that much that you must have a program that not only locks you out of the internet, but also locks you out of root, then you seriously need some sort of procrastinators anonymous.
The Fine Article mentions that a reboot will restore root, but that brings up an interesting point. A system like this MUST have a way to turn it off if you need to, so what's preventing you from doing that when you want to slack?
Really all this is good for is a reminder that you should be working...and for that, simpler methods (PostIt?) would probably suffice.
I was gonna do something like this a while ago, but then I found a really cool site I just had to read...
Shoot first, read later...
... I'd need lockout sunglasses that only turn transparent when I was looking at work related tasks, but then I'd probably fall asleep instead.
An unidentified downside may be that the user does more work, or tries, thus hosing projects moreso than usually would be. In other words, preventing some cretin from getting on the internet may not be in the employer's best interests, unwittingly or not.
"Aw crap, I can't get on eBay, maybe I'll work on this robot some more.
*zzztt!* Pifft! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE! AAAAIIEEEEE..BZZOWNT!! MUST TAKE OVER WORLD! EXTERMINATE HUMANS!
NO CARRIER
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
I need root and the web to do my job?
Pretty much... couldn't do my job if I used Lockout.
[signature]
Take a coffee break and wait for it to come back.
Mama, I got 'dem ole cosmic blues again.
LILO: linux single
How about this in /etc/hosts?
127.0.0.1 localhost slashdot.org www.slashdot.org
Soooo much easier...
I have no problem with your religion until you decide it's reason to deprive others of the truth.
I find it rather funny that just about NOBODY even read the article to realise that the program is a JOKE.
:-P
Sheesh!
Usually when i have to work I xinit the word processor and at least make cheating a little harder on myself.
Now back to work for 5 minutes.
All i need is for this on slashdot, can this go in the slash-code? In my settings i could set daily quotas/limits and my account would just be locked out from posting or my IP banned for x hours. Locking out root and taking your internet connection away isnt going to help most people since their work needs the internet and maybe root. I got through most addiction problems by just getting rid of all my games, after 2 days you don't even miss them although damn soldat, those assholes have to make it only 10mb! i just download it when ever i want it and then delete it. Of course there were afew times when i got weak and tried to recover things from my HD but i got wise to that and overwrote. Now slashdot is pretty much my only distraction from work, damn i hate slashdot you are ruining my life you hear!?! must stop using slashdot! the reason this would work best in slash code is that there's pretty much no way to by-pass it. Of-course it will never happen, the page-views for adverts would just go down the drain.. maybe a subscription only option? really you guys would have that happy feeling of knowing that you had increased productivity in the entire world geek community!
This comment does not represent the views or opinions of the user.
You wouldn't happen to be a Marine, would you?
"The government of the United States is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion."
To read about a utility that does not allow you to read Slashdot on Slashdot or To work ?
:).
Life is full about little dilemmas.
Osho
how is this guy offtopic? tobacco companies help pay for the anti-smoking ads on tv....slashdot runs an article on software to help people stop slacking off on work by surfing the net (ie - trolling slashdot, which is regularly joked about as being something everyone does at work instead of, well, working). makes sense to me
When I was biking around Australia in 2002-2003, I was having to shell out $5-12 AUD per hour for net access ($24 AUD an hour at the WA/SA border on the Nullabor!). I found myself to be insanely productive when it came to programming, answering email, etc when it was costing me by the minute. No Slashdot, random looks at IMDB.com for a movie I saw 15 years ago, etc.
So I've half joked with billing myself for time on the internet, with the money going into a jar or some thing like that...now that I'm back and messing around on the net when I should be working. I would be more productive, and be quite rich at the end of the year!
I already offer this service. Just send me your root password and I'll make sure you're locked out of your root account as well. That way you don't have to worry that a bug in this program will keep you locked out. You'll be able to rest easily knowing that your system is in my capable hands. Just trying to do my part.
Emphasis on "choose wisely", but I couldn't agree with you more.
Lets face it, diversity is great. It is great in ecological systems, art, engineering, you name it. Having someone in the house so different that I have to learn to get along with (or I'm very miserable) has helped me achieve a lot of balance I wouldn't have had otherwise.
I'm an 'offtopic' magnate, it seems.
Got an 'offtopic' vote yesterday for something that ended up a '+5'.
Thomer Gil is a stuttering Dutch vi user, which means that even with a speech impediment, he speaks better English than most Americans and has better taste in editors that most Slashdotters.
Comparing it to Windows will be a moot point, since El Dorado is going to have a 40% larger code base than XP.
... and whatever the equivelent is in other bootloaders.
I.e. with physical acess to the box (which, in the case of this software, you will), you can always recover a lost root password, by booting single user, and then changing it.
In the event that you've locked up your bootloader with a password, this util doesn't change that.
If you've really locked it up the wazoo with crypto all over the place, I think it's recoverable with a boot disc (as you'll have the bios password, or be able to wipe it, to re-enable booting from CD). Mind you, if you've done that then you're not likely to be the sort of person who needs this util.
Frankly, I'd agree with you about self-discipline - there are very few cases where an externally imposed discipline is useful as anything other than a tempory measure. This is not one of those cases, in my opinion.
It is, however, always worth knowing how to recover from any problem, where it is possible. Backups not needed in this case.
This was going to be the first post... Damned Lockout!
Subject says it all...
I'm a poor spelling "magnet" too, it seems. =)
antabuse. Now all we need is the equivalent of naloxone for when you forget to use lockout, and end up slashdotting so much it makes you dizzy.
the slashdot moderators used this function!
I found AIM to be the biggest waste of time I've ever seen. I can easily cast aside TV, Slashdot, and the like, and work on a paper or whatever needs to be done. But after a while, I'll get bored and want to talk to a friend. It's no problem. I'm just going to talk to a friend, and I'll tell him I'm working, so I can't talk much.
But then you'll sign on, and five people will IM you all at the same time, and they'll all turn into full-blown conversations. Next thing you know, it's way later than you ever intended to stay up, and you're not even working on whatever you should be anymore.
The worst is when you HAVE to sign onto AIM to ask someone a question about what you're working on, and you know you'll never be able to sign off, and yet you have to.
It's like crack, I swear. There should be a version of Lockout that just limits you to, say, five minutes of AIM every hour.
________________________________________________
suwain_2
On the Apple Macintosh platform, there is a shareware utility called "Addiction Manager." It allows a user to restrict the launch of specific applications (presumably by themself) to certain days and times. Obviously, this application can be defeated with the proper utility software.
It is not clear how effective this sort of "anti-slacking" software would be...
I mean, hello?
;-)
Why bother with software when you can alter the wetware. All that is needed is a cooperative shrink.
Take say, 30 milligrams 3 times a day -- I'll bet this won't be a problem. If you really were ADD, then problem solved. If not, your heart will probably explode. Also, no problem.
The problem with quotes on the internet, is that nobody bothers to check their veracity. -- Abraham Lincoln
I made a similar script some year ago. It didn't work. I could just boot into single user mode and fix it. I use to talk some friend into changing my bios password when I feel I'm too much behind.
> SO when you ABSOLUTELY HAVE to get on line what do you do?
What you always do when your connection is down: use your neighbor's wireless access point.
I remember I'd sometimes end up doing a "apt-get remove mozilla" in order to get more work done. Then I'd find myself using lynx to procrastinate, so I'd have to "apt-get remove lynx". Then I started ssh'ing into the University servers and running mozilla off those machines...
Sigh.
Incidentally, I also gave up Slashdot for Lent last year. I actually managed to hold out for a few weeks, but eventually my will collapsed.
Yep. I never really understood the point of that either. I mean, you can only do so much to basically trick yourself into being more diciplined before you realize how good you're becoming at lying to yourself.
If I really wanted to do that, I should install a speed (rev I guess) limiter into my car, a power limiter on my computer's outlet, and a bill dispenser on my wallet. Look at all the fun I'd have then.
0- Eamonman Proud member of DNRC
He's got the cron daemon running every minute... why not just set the at daemon once and let it go? What's the benefit of using cron this case? Anyone know?
Football Sports Contest - Win $500 for having an e
Here's your solution. (look at the next few days' comics.)
tasks(723) drafts(105) languages(484) examples(29106)
"Affect", not "e"ffect...
But, it is a common foible. Another is where people use "rather then" instead of "rather than"...
By levying this shot across your bow, I leave myself open to scrutiny/attack, too.
Bon-word-a-tit
Previously: "Linux... Toward the Sunrise..." Now: "Linux... Toward the-- No, now, part of Every Sunrise"
I see this as a way to get out of work.
"I can't restart NFS because I'm locked out of root." or
"I would get those new user accounts created.... but I can't log in right now."
How about excercising some fucking self countrol you dumbass dipshit!
Curses and colorful metaphores courtesy of the site.
Woah, that's a lot of /s for /..
and here i thought i'd found out about all the INVENTIVE ways to kill yourself.
A bullet may have your name on it but splash damage is addressed "To whom it may concern."
Maybe. But marriage can abnormally ternminate too. It might not be your PC that you get locked out of.
What's the matter, the corporate workplace moving too slowly in taking away your privacy? Miss that feeling of being treated like a 3 year old?
These posts express my own personal views, not those of my employer
I've tried to start xscreensaver via cron, but even a DISPLAY=:0.0 xscreensaver won't do it. Anyone know if what I want is possible?
Really, I've been trying to make somthing like this using 'ac' (actually it would 'killall X', or somthing) but FC2 somehow forgets to write to wtmp that the user has loged out. :(
...and how much time was spent devising a tool that was meant to stop you from wasting time?
if you need a tool for this, you need a new job...spend your time looking for a new career/job instead, one that won't bore you so much...
I need something like this for when I get drunk. I'd considered an xscreensaver patch, personally, but there's still the console problem.
Now all I need is one of these.
Assume I was drunk when I posted this.
That would only work if your job didnt specifically involve using the Internet.
The Internet is just a tool. Just like a hammer, it can be used to do something productive (nail framing together for a house), or destructive/wasteful (smash windows)
it's called Discipline. Try it. Or you can try Getting Off Your Fat Ass which is also free for non-commercial useage.
SEO Copywriter. Just Say ON
only people that can't control their own actions would need something like this. it's a tragedy that such software even needs to be written.
I spent a few minutes implementing a windows equivalent of this piece of software.
You can download it here.
Use at your own risk.
Might require vb runtime files, Google is your friend.
Tested only on XP. Ah, no, actually not tested at all.
What always works for me is to get some little candies sitting out next to my keyboard. I say to myself: "Once I get so-and-so done, I'll have another candy!"
put it on for 5 minutes, hit your bowl, get back to work and have fun
I can't figure out how to turn on this pro
Lockout: The Self-imposed, Computer-aided Work Enforcer
/etc/sudoers, or anything else that you believe will impose labor on yourself). After that, Lockout will change your root password (for a specified amount of time) to something random so that you can't secretly undo all those productive settings and be a lazy slacker again. When time is up, Lockout changes the root password back to its original and runs a script that undoes the other settings (firewall, /etc/sudoers, etc.) so that you can finally continue your peaceful slacking.
Software for Slackers: The 1-Step Self-Help Program to Increase your Discipline & ProductivityTM
Introduction
Are you a slacker? So am I. Do you browse the Web, read the news, and write email all day in stead of working? So do I. Does it make you feel miserable and apathetic? Do you tell yourself to stop browsing the fucking Web and get some bloody work done? Do you have absolutely no discipline? I know your pain.
But recent technological advancements have made it possible... There is a cure for your disease!
Years of slacking at the renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology have resulted in a brilliant 461-line Perl script (which includes 130 lines of comments for free!) that makes it all possible! Your productivity will dramatically increase!
Today, I present Lockout: The Self-imposed, Computer-aided Work Enforcer. This program will help you get some work done by not allowing you to browse the Web. It won't allow you to do anything but work. It's a miracle! Your colleagues will respect you, your Ph.D. adviser will compliment you, and your boss, if you have one, will probably not notice the difference! It's amazing! Scroll down! Read more!
What do I need?
Linux, of course, you dumbass dipshit.
This sounds too good to be true!
It is, you fool! If you do this wrong, or if Lockout fucks up, you're screwed: you'll end up not knowing your own root password. In that case, only God, single-user mode, Knoppix, or tomsrtbt can bring salvation. (The good news is that nothing bad ever happened to me as a result of Lockout.)
Give it to me! Give it to me! I want to download it!
I knew it! You can download it for free and read the instructions in the file itself.
Updates:
- 08/22/2004: Version 0.2 released. Many more ways to specify time. New "lockout status" command. See help.
- 08/10/2004: Permission of file that contains copy of root's crypted password depended on root's umask. This security risk was fixed by explicitly setting mode to 0600 in sysopen().
- 08/09/2004: Fixed non-lethal bugs: less anal crontab check and fixed broken time parameter check.
How does it work?
Well, we can't really tell you, but, basically, it does anything you want! For example, it can change your firewall to disallow outgoing connections to port 80. Or it can disable incoming email. And you'll get an outgoing email blocker for free if you download now!
How does it really work?
The real secret is that Lockout will first run a script that you write (to put up a different firewall configuration, to remove yourself from
What if the machines crashes?
Lockout copies the crypted root password (obtained using getpwent()) to a magic file before changing the root password to something random. A cron job runs every minute to see if time's up and, if so, puts the original crypted password back (using usermod -p). So no essential data is lost across crashes and reboots.
What if I suddenly really need to become root?
A @reboot entry in root's crontab file ensures that rebooting your machine will put the original root password back in place. Worst case scenario is that you have to reboot your computer. Well, that's not really true: worst case scenario is that things fail badly and you end up not knowing your root password.
Who are you?
I am Thomer M. Gil. When I'm locked out of my web connection and still trying to slack, I hack on Thomer's Music Vault,
And this is when I introduce my proposal to add a '-1: RTFA' moderation. :-P
compulsive surfers who really don't like web surfing a lot more than any other thing, just do it to keep themselves occupied with something no matter how meaningless. For others I am not too sure. P.S. But, I like Thomer's profile.
oh man, there a million of these id like to complain about.
how about "If I dont hurry I will loose the race."
i would LOVE to see that happen. then, nobody would need to reply to it.
i just add whatever site is taking up too much time to my killfile and i get over the addiction in a couple of weeks :)
Is it me or does this sound more like an prank you would pull on an unsuspecting victim.
Yeah, this would be great for me too. I already do all my work in Linux partially because it actually doesn't play most videogames. I don't have wine installed or any linux games, so to play a game I have to reboot my computer and wait for Windows to load up. Now of course, if I really am set on slacking this wont stop me, but for those "just a 10 minute break and then back to work I swear moments", its great. Now with this program, I'll be even more productive! Bye bye slashdot!
[SIG] It's like putting a moose in the blender -- a recipe for disaster!
Another is where people use "rather then" instead of "rather than"...
It seems like this one has really taken hold in the last year or two. It irritates me to no end.
Just install Windows without any service packs and between crashes and virus infestations, I'm pretty much locked out of my computer. Even if it's working I don't want to mess with it.
So, instead of spending time on the Internet reading Slashdot, geeks around the world would be spending time hacking it during business hours so that they can bragg about how ineffective it is on Slashdot...
Still no real work done.
... if it's possible to lockout the Lockout feature?
This is my post. There are many others like it. If you don't like what you read here, go try one of the others.
I hope my boss doesn't read Slashdot!
On a multiuser system it might be a bad idea, since potentially any other user on the system can prevent the cron script from ever unlocking the system..
What would they do? One possibility: run the passwd command and leave it at the prompt.
Now they have locked the password file, so the 'usermod' command issued to restore the original password will not succeed, AND you can't su to the root account and encourage the user to finish up/get out of the passwd command so that your cronned script eventually unlocks it
at least until you can take a trip to the physical box and reboot the machine
Close the brower window without reading another post on slashdot. Come back after 10 minutes.
Simple? But no one can do it!
Unfortunately (warning: this piece meanders a bit, and not to blow my own horn, I didn't use a spell checker, though I DID have to consult a paper thesaurus for the correct spelling of "grammar"... I have a problem trying to remember whether it ends with -er or -ar... go figure...),
... And I'm too politically contaminating to remain very long in ms-riddled offices. I can't change that, but maybe I can... I'm brainstorming ideas...(legal, of course, heheh) Hmm, why am I not in law? Obviously I like to live, and were I suicidal enough to be in law, and given enough power, I'd make decisions to cut the crap, and bust up some cozy arrangements that are delaying REAL improvement; I'd revamp the USPTO, remove corporate lobbying from lawmaking, force corrupt/greedy management and self-serving unions to reconcile so that effectively there'd be no reason for unions to exist if employees' needs were REALLY being met, I'd wipe out huge swaths of software patents, particulary dubious or land-grabbing types, I'd retroactively punish ms and similar companies for having LIED in court, I'd retroactively forbid or enjoin the worst of the worst execs from operating in industries they hosed up, and more (I'd pump more cash into the hands of people who SPEND, not people who HOARD cash, and I'd fire city mayors and managers who can come up with hundreds of millions to renovate or build new city offices but who cannot cough up an extra few million for entrepreneurs, or who don't greenbelt protect successful moms & pops being run out of town by the likes of starbucks (for example, where the existing proprietor cannot hope to counter when sbux drops in the property owner's lap THREE TIMES what the existing tenant can afford to pay (no, I'm not anti-corporate, just anti-corrrupt-corporates...wait, is that a conundrum?). But, then, there'd be bullets, acid baths, torture chambers, and more waiting for me and for anyone dumb enough to put me in a position to swiftly effect these changes that would deeply affect the "old boy/girl" networks, right?). WHEW, what a segue...(not segway, and not Segway heheh!).
**SO** -- or ALL too -- many students graduating from high schools, even from colleges, "escape" or are "set free" with these and worse kind(s) of errors. It can be quite disillusioning or even quite infuriating for non-degreed (not just speaking for myself), but reasonably intelligent individuals to be rejected (or not trained for) for a decent or responsibility-intensive position in employment or to be subordinated to a person who possesses a degree but who is lacking in grammar, spelling and other mechanics requisite to producing sensible, structured, intelligent and non-confusing documents devoid of run-ons, subject-verb agreement, and so forth. It's also shameful when marketing materials are riddled with basic errors (particularly materials that are more psychologically-driven than factually driven). Colloquial writing obviously is excused from rigors of English rules, but business writing -- even journalistic matter -- can be found with annoyances.
Fortunately, though, even with these weaknesses, many of the people whom I've met and who possess the degrees but can't "write" or spell to save their own skin can at least program well enough to be retained or show increased proficiency in their areas of interest if work is changed up a bit. They (the programmers) can do something I CAN'T or which I am not interested in doing. I am too WYSIWYG-minded (I don't think I'm either left- or right-brained -- I am brain-spun, or in possession of an ever-spinning brain that is probably 2 to 3 degrees warmer than it needs to be (NO! It's not available for scans and probes...) but I am still functioning, hehe.
(Hmm, why am I not in a technical writing position? That's another story...but suffice it to say I'm not interested in using ms word..., and it's hard to find a place using Lotus WordPro, OpenOffice.org, or OpenSource tools, or
Unfortunately, the pay disparity increasingly today seems to be or i
Previously: "Linux... Toward the Sunrise..." Now: "Linux... Toward the-- No, now, part of Every Sunrise"
(while you have root access, edit this script)
#!/bin/sh
exec $1
---
chown root:mygroup foo.sh
chmod 4750 foo.sh
problem solved.
What do I need?
:-)
Linux, of course, you dumbass dipshit.
Wise words if ever I heard 'em! Now I can live a more prosperous life! Thank you!
#hostfile 0.0.0.0 primidi.com 0.0.0.0 www.primidi.com 0.0.0.0 radio.weblogs.com
Surely this is what those pesky kids who send virus have been trying to do to my computer for years, as well as deleting all the files and using it to send untold amounts of spam.
So now after creating a multi billion dollar anti-virus and security software market, we are just going to download this volunatarily and fully aware of it's capabilities and intentions.
Damn right we are!
Back in the late 80's when I was still in school, it was sail, nethack, IRC, e-mail and Usenet. Access for most students meant one of several rooms which seated twelve or twenty at black-and-white ASCII terminals.
Even when the most alluring distraction was the reams and reams of junk on talk.bizarre it was still a "distraction" from schoolwork. I wrote a lockout script to be run by my ".login" script. Of course, one never gets things quite right and I had to find a way to get past it because due to a coding error it wasn't ever going to let me in.
A friend of mine asked me for help on "a little project" which turned out to be his own version of the same thing. I began to suspect that maybe everybody thought of it... which is when I decided I had better just do what needed doing first.
</old_fart_o_the_net>
This new guy has really screwed himself though, considering how much time it must have taken to write it and get it all pretty on freshmeat.
This seems to be the Linux equivalent of Trusted Computing.
-- Ed Avis ed@membled.com
Of course, if you've got a little more discipline, you probably could add slashdot to your hosts file to send to loopback.
Well you Unix users feel left out by the annoying paperclip?
Well do not feel left out no more. You too can be annoyed!
http://saveie6.com/
it's called "clumsy typing" -- that, coupled with a 3-goof-limit on entering my password, has always done a pretty good job.
This space intentionally left (almost) blank.
Congratulations on increasing the entropy of /. and thereby bringing the glorious heat death of the universe ever closer.
I was talking to someone who said this sounded just like Anatabuse for alchololics (drug you take that makes you sick if you then drink alcohol). If you gan garner enough will to take antabuse in the morning, you keep yourself from drinking all day out of fear of getting sick.
Of course, it turns out that antabuse is rarely prescribed these days, because when an alcoholic wants to drink, they just don't take it.
ayershome.org/users/eric
...OTOH, putting it on public terminals at school or work could be rather amusing. lock my calc teacher out of her gradebook program....
--A witty sig proves nothing.--
I love you guys. Except for the one that modded me down. I hope he burns in hell. =)
It goes from God, to Jerry, to me.