This isn't even thought crime. That at least requires you to think about doing something "subversive". This merely requires an arbitrary set of parameters to flag you as potentially "subversive". No thought required.
The best part is, if the software doesn't currently consider you a "threat" we can always tweak it to push you over the threshold! Remember that come next election, or next time you purchase something we don't think you should, or even the next time you pass us and don't give us a compliment!
However, I think the real kool-aid is believing that voting Republican or Democrat really gets you want you want. The whole damn thing looks like a sham at this point.
And if you get a birthday card with money in it? Who is to say you didn't get two 20's in that letter. The postal service was only able to locate one of those!
Or, say it's a private letter about financial information and now they have all your account information, oh and all your other personally identifiable information was in other letters that week so your identity is safe with you, and the person that opened all your mail.
It's just not a good idea in the long run. Maybe as an opt-in service for those who _know_ what is/isn't showing up in snail mail?
April Fools Jokes get old when 100% of the stories on your site consist of them. I enjoyed the days of past when you found it fun to try and figure out which stories were jokes. Now every damn story is a "joke". Stops being cute/funny really really fast.
I like a lot of the open source games on Ubuntu, but to be honest you could play most of those on a NetBook so a "gaming pc" just isn't required. But I have also enjoyed some of the indie games on the 360 marketplace.
I've always been a PC fan all the way back to the original SimCity on my 286. Throughout the years I've also owned Consoles (Nintendo, Gameboy, SNES, N64, Gamecube, GBA, XBox, XBox360, Wii, etc, etc, etc). I've probably owned/built just as many gaming rigs as well.
Obviously I take gaming a little more as a hobby than just a time waster.
The one thing I have loved all this time is Multiplayer. It wasn't really possible back on the 286 unless you shared a keyboard as gaming on PC's was in its infancy. At this point in time it was easier to play multiplayer on one console with a friend.
A few years passed and the internet became a big thing. Quake for example was one of my favorites! Especially CTF online with clans. I even ran my own unsuccessful one but even so, it was a blast! Consoles couldn't touch this kind of fun! 5 on 5, 10 on 10. Just awesome!
Consoles at this time, really couldn't do this at all. XBox + Live just wasn't around yet.
Later on when XBox arrived and I got into the Live! Beta I started to see what multiplayer on consoles is like. Pretty fun! Problem for me here was that FPS games just weren't fun with a controller. I really did (and still do to a certain extent) need a keyboard/mouse combo to be a threat.
So for quite a while, I still preferred to play FPS's on a PC. However, this has changed as of late. Games that I want to play are either coming out without server support and/or mod support (Modern Warfare 2) or are simply outpacing my hardware. Combine those two and frankly, I simply don't want to upgrade my graphics card every year just to play the latest and greatest games. Especially considering that Modern Warfare 2 works just fine on my 360 and I get to play nice multiplayer battles. When it came out, my hardware was just as good as everyone elses. Sure, I have to get use to a controller, but it seems a small price to pay versus making sure my rig can handle the game (plus I run Ubuntu now).
In the end, I'm realizing that gaming on a console is just a _ton_ easier than it is on a PC. They both have the same options and generally roughly the same graphics. The only difference is the controllers.
In my mind, consoles just have the upper hand. Less cost, less hassle (juggling OS's), and the same multiplayer options. It has just become a lot more convenient over the years to play on a console.
No single solution will be perfect in a "for the children" argument.
Here is what I would do/suggest.
1) Make a sensible AUP for school computers. No Porn, etc.
2) Have sensible punishments for breaking the AUP. (No cops, no expulsions. Detention sure, suspension/parental notification, if you have to.)
3) Leave the net _wide open_ for each student.
4) Log all activity so that in the event it is suspected a student broke the AUP you can verify the infringement took place and apply a sensible punishment.
5) Break the AUP too many times and you can only use school computers under strict filters, or under direct supervision (read: someone watching over your shoulder) in addition to normal punishment.
Don't coddle. Don't expell. Don't freak out. Just teach the kids what is and isn't acceptable and let them learn how to deal with rules and sensible punishments.
Yes, this means kids might get exposed to hardcore porn from time to time. Big f'in deal. For me the net wasn't around and I saw good ol' VHS tapes. It happens whether you threaten death as a punishment or cookies as a reward. It will still happen.
But in my opinion. School is there to learn, not stifle. Teach and use the full brunt of the tools we have to do it.
Sadly, probably won't happen because little miss perfect's perfect mother will sue the school because her daughter heard that another student might have seen a naked picture on a school computer.
To me, anything that doesn't follow a ballistic trajectory would have to be considered maneuverable. I mean, if it can avoid an obstacle or follow a flight plan.. it's maneuverable.
That's such a weak argument and reeks of Fox News.
Look the fact of the matter is, if I lose my job today, I can't get health insurance. Not only will I lose my house, my car, everything I have, I won't even be able to stay healthy.
In the end, insurance companies (private) ones at least, are a huge conflict of interest. Their supposed purpose is to insure everyone willing to pay against huge medical bills, but that is precisely what they don't want to do. They don't get rich paying for _anything_.
They are there to keep you healthy and to get rich but getting rich is more important so your health is put aside.
Now I'm not arguing for or against this bill. But what I am saying is that private health care is a _joke_. Myself and many others basically are uninsurable or will have to pay much more than our mortgages just to keep insurance.
Our health insurance system is broken and free markets won't fix that. Hell just look at it now. We've let it run along and it's _failed_ _us_ _all_. Well, maybe not the rich who couldn't care less what the premium is.
So continue with your hollow "gubmint is bad mmmkay" bullshit rhetoric. The fact is, non-goverment run health insurance is terrible beyond belief, it's time to change the game.
Ok, snail mail isn't allowed to be opened and copied under federal law (exceptions such as military, etc, exist).
Sec. 1702. Obstruction of correspondence
Whoever takes any letter, postal card, or package out of any post office or any authorized depository for mail matter, or from any letter
or mail carrier, or which has been in any post office or authorized depository, or in the custody of any letter or mail carrier, before it
has been delivered to the person to whom it was directed, with design to obstruct the correspondence, or to pry into the business or secrets of another, or opens, secretes, embezzles, or destroys the same, shall be
fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.
If only we could get the same for email. That way no copies can be made and handed off to another party.
I'm sorry you feel everyone is out to get you/us, but are we searching just to conquer an ET? Or are we doing so just for the sake of doing it and for whatever benefits/truths can be made from such a discovery?
Maybe they want our resources, maybe we make good eats or maybe we make good batteries, I don't know. Could they want to find us just to kill us for one reason or another? Of course it is possible, but there is no reason to not look.
I see lots of posts that seem to miss the point. The mere _finding_ of an ET would be _dramatic_ for our civilization. Think of all the things that would change (not all religious).
If we can ever _prove_ we're not alone out here, I honestly believe it could sway the attitudes and priorities of many governments. I mean, honestly, if we know there is another alien life out there, that we could potentially communicate with, how many stupid squabbles would end?
Right now, we only worry about ourselves because, well, that's all there is to worry about. The prospect of learning from another civilization, or even just being afraid and try to "defend" ourselves from them (sad, but you never know what spin governments would put on a finding like that) could be utterly revolutionary.
Then again, so many people would dis-believe due to religious and/or conspiratorial reasons would probably be mind boggling.
I'm not saying you're wrong but when it comes to US Citizens losing their jobs, yes, the government has a problem with that.
I won't care to elaborate on why that is, but the fact that you seem surprised is a little confusing. It shouldn't be surprising that a government has more of an interest in the health of the job market for its citizens over the job[less] rate of another countries population.
Well, as far as I understand it, defacing money is only an offense if it is done _fraudulently_. Meaning, or at least including, bleaching of lesser denomination bills and reprinting them as larger denominations (make a $1 bill a $100).
Defacing money isn't illegal wholesale as you can walk into nearly any tourist attraction and see those penny squishing machines that make souveniers.
Re:are they even legal?
on
Hollow Spy Coins
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
Well.. interesting question..
They _are_ made from real coins and they don't purport to be worth anything more than the tender they were milled from.
Now, what happens if you try to pass one off at a store? Well, my guess is you would just be an idiot. At $20+ for a hollow quarter, you're better off just giving them a real quarter. Yes, the store would be out 25 cents, but I'm not sure that would be "counterfeiting" as, again, it was real money and again isn't purporting to be worth more than face value (ie, not a bleached $1 bill being reprinted as a $100).
Really, if you try to pass one of these off, you're _out_ money and it's a mistake you'll be pissed you made.
And no, hollow coins aren't "minted" that way. As far as I can tell, to make a hollow quarter, you take _two_ regular quarters of similar quality and you cut off the back of one and hollow out the center of another then mate the two.
Counterfeit? Maybe on a technicality, but I don't see the Secret Service knocking on your door over it.
All I want to know is.. who the @#$% leaves a loaded weapon unattended and in the open while a child is nearby.
There are negligent things you can do (leaving plastic bags accessible to toddlers/infants) and then there is pure criminal negligence (leaving loaded weapons within their reach).
However, stepping back. I'm also sick of the "for the children" bullshit. Potentially, in this case, losing their 3yr old child may be more than enough punishment. If they cared at all, I can see themselves punishing themselves much more than any penal system could.
I couldn't imagine my child being killed on my watch. I'm not sure I could live with it if I was the cause.
All new bleeding edge CPUs are expensive. That's not the point of the article/submission. The point here is that a very fast 6 core, 12 thread consumer level processor is now on the market.
So you deem motion on a laptop screen to be a distraction.
What about clicking cell phones as someone texts? Or the bright screen that bobs around as they press the buttons? Should that be banned as well since it might distract you?
How about someone whose leg always seems to bounce continuously like a nervous twitch and causes the seat to squeak slightly. Should to stop him from showing up because it distracts you?
How about someone who has one of those pencil/paper combos that seems to make the graphite squeak against the paper from time to time?
Or how about someone who wheezes? Coughs a lot? Sneezes a lot? Blows their nose a lot?
Are you in favor of banning anything that can possibly be a distraction to even one student? Even though the majority (at least in this case) are probably using the device for "pro-education" purposes?
Ok, I'll concede that those watching videos/playing games should be relegated to the back row. But banning laptops wholesale isn't the answer just because there is a _potential_ for distraction.
At least that's my opinion. And please don't take it as an attack, I just don't like the slippery slope.
You seem to be under the false impression that if laptops weren't around that somehow those kids who would otherwise be distracted would be paying attention.
If it isn't games, it's doodling, if it's not doodling, it's sleeping, etc.
If a kid doesn't want to pay attention you can take everything away from him/her, but in the end they might just decide to not even show up. At least if they are there they can absorb the parts that interest them. If they fail, they fail.
Slashdot Mirror
This isn't even thought crime. That at least requires you to think about doing something "subversive". This merely requires an arbitrary set of parameters to flag you as potentially "subversive". No thought required.
The best part is, if the software doesn't currently consider you a "threat" we can always tweak it to push you over the threshold! Remember that come next election, or next time you purchase something we don't think you should, or even the next time you pass us and don't give us a compliment!
I voted for the guy and I agree. Change?
Meet the new boss......
However, I think the real kool-aid is believing that voting Republican or Democrat really gets you want you want. The whole damn thing looks like a sham at this point.
Definitely wrong. Case in point, when I got the letter from Nielson (sp?) for tv ratings they sent me a total of 5 $1 bills through snail mail.
And if you get a birthday card with money in it? Who is to say you didn't get two 20's in that letter. The postal service was only able to locate one of those!
Or, say it's a private letter about financial information and now they have all your account information, oh and all your other personally identifiable information was in other letters that week so your identity is safe with you, and the person that opened all your mail.
It's just not a good idea in the long run. Maybe as an opt-in service for those who _know_ what is/isn't showing up in snail mail?
April Fools Jokes get old when 100% of the stories on your site consist of them. I enjoyed the days of past when you found it fun to try and figure out which stories were jokes. Now every damn story is a "joke". Stops being cute/funny really really fast.
Onus is on you buddy... Good luck proving that one.. Enjoy those bills too, by the way!
I like a lot of the open source games on Ubuntu, but to be honest you could play most of those on a NetBook so a "gaming pc" just isn't required. But I have also enjoyed some of the indie games on the 360 marketplace.
I've always been a PC fan all the way back to the original SimCity on my 286. Throughout the years I've also owned Consoles (Nintendo, Gameboy, SNES, N64, Gamecube, GBA, XBox, XBox360, Wii, etc, etc, etc). I've probably owned/built just as many gaming rigs as well.
Obviously I take gaming a little more as a hobby than just a time waster.
The one thing I have loved all this time is Multiplayer. It wasn't really possible back on the 286 unless you shared a keyboard as gaming on PC's was in its infancy. At this point in time it was easier to play multiplayer on one console with a friend.
A few years passed and the internet became a big thing. Quake for example was one of my favorites! Especially CTF online with clans. I even ran my own unsuccessful one but even so, it was a blast! Consoles couldn't touch this kind of fun! 5 on 5, 10 on 10. Just awesome!
Consoles at this time, really couldn't do this at all. XBox + Live just wasn't around yet.
Later on when XBox arrived and I got into the Live! Beta I started to see what multiplayer on consoles is like. Pretty fun! Problem for me here was that FPS games just weren't fun with a controller. I really did (and still do to a certain extent) need a keyboard/mouse combo to be a threat.
So for quite a while, I still preferred to play FPS's on a PC. However, this has changed as of late. Games that I want to play are either coming out without server support and/or mod support (Modern Warfare 2) or are simply outpacing my hardware. Combine those two and frankly, I simply don't want to upgrade my graphics card every year just to play the latest and greatest games. Especially considering that Modern Warfare 2 works just fine on my 360 and I get to play nice multiplayer battles. When it came out, my hardware was just as good as everyone elses. Sure, I have to get use to a controller, but it seems a small price to pay versus making sure my rig can handle the game (plus I run Ubuntu now).
In the end, I'm realizing that gaming on a console is just a _ton_ easier than it is on a PC. They both have the same options and generally roughly the same graphics. The only difference is the controllers.
In my mind, consoles just have the upper hand. Less cost, less hassle (juggling OS's), and the same multiplayer options. It has just become a lot more convenient over the years to play on a console.
And that's my 2 cents on the issue.
No single solution will be perfect in a "for the children" argument.
Here is what I would do/suggest.
1) Make a sensible AUP for school computers. No Porn, etc.
2) Have sensible punishments for breaking the AUP. (No cops, no expulsions. Detention sure, suspension/parental notification, if you have to.)
3) Leave the net _wide open_ for each student.
4) Log all activity so that in the event it is suspected a student broke the AUP you can verify the infringement took place and apply a sensible punishment.
5) Break the AUP too many times and you can only use school computers under strict filters, or under direct supervision (read: someone watching over your shoulder) in addition to normal punishment.
Don't coddle. Don't expell. Don't freak out. Just teach the kids what is and isn't acceptable and let them learn how to deal with rules and sensible punishments.
Yes, this means kids might get exposed to hardcore porn from time to time. Big f'in deal. For me the net wasn't around and I saw good ol' VHS tapes. It happens whether you threaten death as a punishment or cookies as a reward. It will still happen.
But in my opinion. School is there to learn, not stifle. Teach and use the full brunt of the tools we have to do it.
Sadly, probably won't happen because little miss perfect's perfect mother will sue the school because her daughter heard that another student might have seen a naked picture on a school computer.
To me, anything that doesn't follow a ballistic trajectory would have to be considered maneuverable. I mean, if it can avoid an obstacle or follow a flight plan.. it's maneuverable.
That's such a weak argument and reeks of Fox News.
Look the fact of the matter is, if I lose my job today, I can't get health insurance. Not only will I lose my house, my car, everything I have, I won't even be able to stay healthy.
In the end, insurance companies (private) ones at least, are a huge conflict of interest. Their supposed purpose is to insure everyone willing to pay against huge medical bills, but that is precisely what they don't want to do. They don't get rich paying for _anything_.
They are there to keep you healthy and to get rich but getting rich is more important so your health is put aside.
Now I'm not arguing for or against this bill. But what I am saying is that private health care is a _joke_. Myself and many others basically are uninsurable or will have to pay much more than our mortgages just to keep insurance.
Our health insurance system is broken and free markets won't fix that. Hell just look at it now. We've let it run along and it's _failed_ _us_ _all_. Well, maybe not the rich who couldn't care less what the premium is.
So continue with your hollow "gubmint is bad mmmkay" bullshit rhetoric. The fact is, non-goverment run health insurance is terrible beyond belief, it's time to change the game.
Was going to post something just like this. It was good news until I read "SONY". I make it a point to not support their business and now...
ugg...
The program output was '42'. If you had bothered to click the link and verify your claim, which you obviously didn't, you would have seen the output.
I take that to mean "if you pry into the business or secrets of the mail before it is delivered" then you're in violation.
Meaning, it's protected while en route. The second it's delivered it has no protection under that law and becomes a possession and protected as such.
Ok, snail mail isn't allowed to be opened and copied under federal law (exceptions such as military, etc, exist).
Sec. 1702. Obstruction of correspondence
Whoever takes any letter, postal card, or package out of any post office or any authorized depository for mail matter, or from any letter or mail carrier, or which has been in any post office or authorized depository, or in the custody of any letter or mail carrier, before it has been delivered to the person to whom it was directed, with design to obstruct the correspondence, or to pry into the business or secrets of another, or opens, secretes, embezzles, or destroys the same, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.
If only we could get the same for email. That way no copies can be made and handed off to another party.
Sadly, I doubt this will ever happen.
I'm sorry you feel everyone is out to get you/us, but are we searching just to conquer an ET? Or are we doing so just for the sake of doing it and for whatever benefits/truths can be made from such a discovery?
Maybe they want our resources, maybe we make good eats or maybe we make good batteries, I don't know. Could they want to find us just to kill us for one reason or another? Of course it is possible, but there is no reason to not look.
I see lots of posts that seem to miss the point. The mere _finding_ of an ET would be _dramatic_ for our civilization. Think of all the things that would change (not all religious).
If we can ever _prove_ we're not alone out here, I honestly believe it could sway the attitudes and priorities of many governments. I mean, honestly, if we know there is another alien life out there, that we could potentially communicate with, how many stupid squabbles would end?
Right now, we only worry about ourselves because, well, that's all there is to worry about. The prospect of learning from another civilization, or even just being afraid and try to "defend" ourselves from them (sad, but you never know what spin governments would put on a finding like that) could be utterly revolutionary.
Then again, so many people would dis-believe due to religious and/or conspiratorial reasons would probably be mind boggling.
I'm not saying you're wrong but when it comes to US Citizens losing their jobs, yes, the government has a problem with that.
I won't care to elaborate on why that is, but the fact that you seem surprised is a little confusing. It shouldn't be surprising that a government has more of an interest in the health of the job market for its citizens over the job[less] rate of another countries population.
Well, as far as I understand it, defacing money is only an offense if it is done _fraudulently_. Meaning, or at least including, bleaching of lesser denomination bills and reprinting them as larger denominations (make a $1 bill a $100).
Defacing money isn't illegal wholesale as you can walk into nearly any tourist attraction and see those penny squishing machines that make souveniers.
Well.. interesting question..
They _are_ made from real coins and they don't purport to be worth anything more than the tender they were milled from.
Now, what happens if you try to pass one off at a store? Well, my guess is you would just be an idiot. At $20+ for a hollow quarter, you're better off just giving them a real quarter. Yes, the store would be out 25 cents, but I'm not sure that would be "counterfeiting" as, again, it was real money and again isn't purporting to be worth more than face value (ie, not a bleached $1 bill being reprinted as a $100).
Really, if you try to pass one of these off, you're _out_ money and it's a mistake you'll be pissed you made.
And no, hollow coins aren't "minted" that way. As far as I can tell, to make a hollow quarter, you take _two_ regular quarters of similar quality and you cut off the back of one and hollow out the center of another then mate the two.
Counterfeit? Maybe on a technicality, but I don't see the Secret Service knocking on your door over it.
All I want to know is.. who the @#$% leaves a loaded weapon unattended and in the open while a child is nearby.
There are negligent things you can do (leaving plastic bags accessible to toddlers/infants) and then there is pure criminal negligence (leaving loaded weapons within their reach).
However, stepping back. I'm also sick of the "for the children" bullshit. Potentially, in this case, losing their 3yr old child may be more than enough punishment. If they cared at all, I can see themselves punishing themselves much more than any penal system could.
I couldn't imagine my child being killed on my watch. I'm not sure I could live with it if I was the cause.
All new bleeding edge CPUs are expensive. That's not the point of the article/submission. The point here is that a very fast 6 core, 12 thread consumer level processor is now on the market.
Price will come down in due time.
Just to further the discussion...
So you deem motion on a laptop screen to be a distraction.
What about clicking cell phones as someone texts? Or the bright screen that bobs around as they press the buttons? Should that be banned as well since it might distract you?
How about someone whose leg always seems to bounce continuously like a nervous twitch and causes the seat to squeak slightly. Should to stop him from showing up because it distracts you?
How about someone who has one of those pencil/paper combos that seems to make the graphite squeak against the paper from time to time?
Or how about someone who wheezes? Coughs a lot? Sneezes a lot? Blows their nose a lot?
Are you in favor of banning anything that can possibly be a distraction to even one student? Even though the majority (at least in this case) are probably using the device for "pro-education" purposes?
Ok, I'll concede that those watching videos/playing games should be relegated to the back row. But banning laptops wholesale isn't the answer just because there is a _potential_ for distraction.
At least that's my opinion. And please don't take it as an attack, I just don't like the slippery slope.
You seem to be under the false impression that if laptops weren't around that somehow those kids who would otherwise be distracted would be paying attention.
If it isn't games, it's doodling, if it's not doodling, it's sleeping, etc.
If a kid doesn't want to pay attention you can take everything away from him/her, but in the end they might just decide to not even show up. At least if they are there they can absorb the parts that interest them. If they fail, they fail.