Google Desktop Search Functions As Spyware

dioscaido writes "Users of the Google Desktop Search software beware -- it indexes your files across all users on your PC, bypassing user protections. The Google cache feature allows all users to browse the contents of messages and files it has indexed, irrespective of who is logged in. 'This is not a bug, rather a feature,' says Marissa Mayer, Google's director of consumer Web products. 'Google Desktop Search is not intended to be used on computers that are shared with more than one person.'" Reminds me of a Neal Stephenson essay: "The Hole Hawg is dangerous because it does exactly what you tell it to. It is not bound by the physical limitations that are inherent in a cheap drill, and neither is it limited by safety interlocks that might be built into a homeowner's product by a liability-conscious manufacturer. The danger lies not in the machine itself but in the user's failure to envision the full consequences of the instructions he gives to it."

Comments

milwaukee hole hawg

[bodrell]

In the essay, he described someone holding onto this tool, spinning around while the bit was stuck firmly in the wall. Pretty scary.

But then again, I like things to do what I tell them to. That's why I no longer use Windows at home.

Re:milwaukee hole hawg

[Scud]

In the essay, he described someone holding onto this tool, spinning around while the bit was stuck firmly in the wall. Pretty scary.

That's exactly what happens, I used to be an Electrician, and when you hung one up, particularly in low gear (they actually have a transmission), you were in for a ride.

Using a hole saw on a ladder was always an act of faith as it was even odds that the damn thing would get hung up and send you sailing off of the ladder.

They do come with a bar that you can screw into the side of the drill (7/8" in diameter, rather massive) so that you can hang on with both hands. But since it usually got in the way when you were drilling holes, it was seldom used.

Our Millwrights use them here at work to drill holes in white iron (structural steel). These models come with magnetic bases that allow them to position the drill where they want and then "stick" it to the steel. This makes kicking the cord out when they are drilling horizontally a capital offense :)

I used mine the other day to spin up my lawnmower (with the spark plug & blade removed, natch) to see how bad the shaft was bent. No problem for the old girl at all :)