What better thing to do when announcing the winners of the obfuscated coding contest than to have a link on Slashdot. Then, even the results are obfuscated...
I thought one of the principal arguments used to support the DMCA was to speed the acceptance of broadband. As I recall, the rationale was that the additional protection for digital media distributions would spur the offering of digital content. In turn, this would increase the incentives for consumer adoption of broadband.
With very little in the way of conventional entertainment available (the RIAA has killed most and movies don't exist), an increase in broadband acceptance appears independent of the incentive. All that really happened was the consumer got shafted.
Basically, binary arithmetic is really simple so can be optimized really well and is much more universal, in the wider philosophical sense, than decimal arithmetic. Everything in the universe seems to revolve around a binary concept, rather than a decimal one... matter/antimatter, existence/non-existence, quantum spin states, etc.
You know, there are two types of people in the world...
(IANA...yada yada) I dunno - seems like this could be a start. Instructing a jury that "offering a product that could violate copyrights was not enough to warrant a conviction" kicks one of the legs out from under the DMCA (the distribution clause - distribution of a circumvention mechanism is a no-no under the DMCA). Further, seems like the judge's instructions and the jury's conclusion bolster the concept of fair use the DMCA essentially undermined (both parties *knew* the software bypassed copy protections - but bypassing copy protections to works you have rights to already is not a problem - think MP3, DVDs and Linux...).
Seems like an interesting precedent. Maybe a baby step but a step none-the-less.
Since there is evidence to suggest that Microsoft, among others, has obtained and used open source software in close distributions, we - the upstanding proponents of open source - are duty bound to DoS any and all distributors of said products should this pass.
It's an indicator of the dubious kind of context in which one finds such rash statements
A page containing a table trigonometric identities won't change much either. Therefore, one might also conclude that it could be an indicator of the absolute, inalterable truthfulness of the statement...
Brackett died of cancer shortly after submitting her first draft of "The Empire Strikes Back." Though the film's credits list her as screenwriter along with Lawrence Kasdan, Pollock says Lucas had to throw out her draft and start from scratch with Kasdan's help.
Without expressing an opinion on the accuracy of the article, the one person who would know and might care the most about the credit was too dead to complain.
The real irony here is that a Russian company is effectively working to defend American freedoms against its own capitalistic forces. Should make for some pretty amusing classroom reading in about 100 years.
Actually, I'm contemplating a campaign contribution. I don't even live in VA, but I feel compelled to support someone with a clue by putting a little money behind him.
Excellent point. However, I would say the analogy still holds in much the same way that the Government does regulate security issues associated with sensitive areas (nuclear power plants, etc.). But the regulation has to do with a sector that is particularly well positioned to be harmful, not the general sense.
Extending back to the original analogy, the regulations should apply to what's behind the door, rather than to the fact that you have a door.
Congress doesn't regulate whether individuals or corporations lock their doors, install security alarms, or any of a plethora of physical security measures. Then, why would I want them to step into the fray and regulate security responses and policies in cyberspace?
To begin with, the government doesn't move fast. Given that time scales associated with the IT was becoming smaller and smaller, the iterrations would go through many cycles before Congress knows what hit them. Attempting to regulate the arena would get in the way.
Secondly, Congress obfuscates rather than clarrifies. Look at the DMCA - which causes more problems for the industry than it solves. It's great for the conventional copyright holder but has the effect of stiffling digital advances. Congress moving to mandate information security policies or measures would be the same thing - the paradym they are working under doesn't apply well to this technology or the time scales under which it operates.
Let the industry that's used to the pace of things set the policies. Congress is better suited to time scales where change occurs in years, not days.
I have an 8 node cluster with IBM DeskStar 75GXP drives in each node. The cluster has been operating for about 5 months. In that time, I have had drive failures in four of the eight nodes.
Others in my organization have experienced problems with these drives
Your mileage my vary, but they look like lemons to me!
By suggesting the use of an X-Ray machine to examine the interior of this computer, you are describing a method by which one can determine the layout of the circuit board (which is protected by copyright).
Since the case is secured by a means to prevent access (screws) except as authorized by the copyright holder, you have, in effect, transported a method to bypass said method of "encryption." As such, you have potentially violated rights under the DMCA.
Please remove the description of the x-ray methodology and all links from your site. Failure to do so may make you potentially liable for copyright violation and subject to civil penalties.
My absolute favorite story along these lines resulted from actions of a former coworker and current friend.
At my former consulting company, we had the pleasure of working as one of many similarly specialized contractors to an entity that will remain nameless. As each of the contractors were constantly jockeying for position and work, oneupsmanship and behind the scenes backstabbing was the name of the game. However, on the surface, we were all good little people, playing nice, and sharing our toys.
In this particular instance, my former company was working along-side another company to create a database management system and to populate the database with data that had been QA'ed (our part was the data). Since the chunk we had employed more people, it was the most lucritive - which meant is was enormously attractive to our development partner. In an attempt to try to "take the work off our hands," our playmate started making a lot of noise about the fact that our data effort was falling behind schedule and that, as a result, the delivery of the system was being delayed.
Well, it was true the data reduction was taking longer; some of the data was real junk and had to be analyzed ad nauseum. However, what our buddies across the way weren't telling was that they hadn't been working on the stuff that hard and weren't ready themselves (though, they had been charging). We knew it, but we were holding the wrong end of the stick. At the weekly project review meeting, we were going to get smacked around for delaying things and needed to be able to deflect some of the blame back to our amigos across the tables.
On the day of the meeting, the criticism starts as usual. But, just as it begins, my coworker whips out a 9-track tape and says, "Well, we've finally overcome the difficulties. Here's the tape for you to populate your tables with." Immediately, the tables turn and our buddies are giving details of when things will be ready for review.
After the meeting, I am talking with my friend. "We aren't finished with the data analysis yet. What gives?"
"Oh, I know," he replies. "But, they don't know that. And, now, we'll see if they are actually finished or if they are blowing smoke. The tape is blank. If they come back saying that that can't read the tape, we know their further along than we thought. But, if we don't hear anything, we'll know they're too busy trying to make up for lost time than to try to read the tape."
Sure enough, two months goes by - not a word. "Is everything all right," we ask. "Fine, still working on getting the data in the system," they reply.
In the meantime, we keep working on the analysis. By the time they are to the point of attempting a tape read, we are done. As soon as we hear, "we are having trouble reading your tape," we have a new legitimate one ready to go and they've been on the spit for two months.
Slashdot Mirror
It seems that the birthplace of the atom bomb is being guarded by string ...
... but it was *really good* string. Finest fiber ... the best money can buy. $45 a roll on the GSA schedule (MILSPEC costs bucks, ya know) ...
Yes
My browser is set to send nonsense ...
Coincidentally, so are most web servers.
What better thing to do when announcing the winners of the obfuscated coding contest than to have a link on Slashdot. Then, even the results are obfuscated ...
I thought one of the principal arguments used to support the DMCA was to speed the acceptance of broadband. As I recall, the rationale was that the additional protection for digital media distributions would spur the offering of digital content. In turn, this would increase the incentives for consumer adoption of broadband.
With very little in the way of conventional entertainment available (the RIAA has killed most and movies don't exist), an increase in broadband acceptance appears independent of the incentive. All that really happened was the consumer got shafted.
Basically, binary arithmetic is really simple so can be optimized really well and is much more universal, in the wider philosophical sense, than decimal arithmetic. Everything in the universe seems to revolve around a binary concept, rather than a decimal one... matter/antimatter, existence/non-existence, quantum spin states, etc.
...
You know, there are two types of people in the world
(IANA...yada yada) I dunno - seems like this could be a start. Instructing a jury that "offering a product that could violate copyrights was not enough to warrant a conviction" kicks one of the legs out from under the DMCA (the distribution clause - distribution of a circumvention mechanism is a no-no under the DMCA). Further, seems like the judge's instructions and the jury's conclusion bolster the concept of fair use the DMCA essentially undermined (both parties *knew* the software bypassed copy protections - but bypassing copy protections to works you have rights to already is not a problem - think MP3, DVDs and Linux ...).
Seems like an interesting precedent. Maybe a baby step but a step none-the-less.
Once again, we find that all we ever really need to know about life (and business), we learned from Dr. Seuss ...
Agreed ... but the metric (the metaphoric "riches") *is* the issue.
Have you seen what's on TV? I've got better uses for the hardware.
Since there is evidence to suggest that Microsoft, among others, has obtained and used open source software in close distributions, we - the upstanding proponents of open source - are duty bound to DoS any and all distributors of said products should this pass.
...
Could be a fun year
It's an indicator of the dubious kind of context in which one finds such rash statements
...
A page containing a table trigonometric identities won't change much either. Therefore, one might also conclude that it could be an indicator of the absolute, inalterable truthfulness of the statement
Exerpt from the article:
Brackett died of cancer shortly after submitting her first draft of "The Empire Strikes Back." Though the film's credits list her as screenwriter along with Lawrence Kasdan, Pollock says Lucas had to throw out her draft and start from scratch with Kasdan's help.
Without expressing an opinion on the accuracy of the article, the one person who would know and might care the most about the credit was too dead to complain.
Wasn't a court - it was the FDIC. And all they said was, "it doesn't look like a bank to us, but the states should decide for themselves."
Yes, among other things.
This was a reference on the RedHat advisory [RHSA-2002:027-22] Vulnerability in zlib library (powertools):
Mitre
Gnome
The Mitre page says it's still under review.
Though the determination to omit the Gospel of Thomas is not entirely without basis.
The real irony here is that a Russian company is effectively working to defend American freedoms against its own capitalistic forces. Should make for some pretty amusing classroom reading in about 100 years.
Actually, I'm contemplating a campaign contribution. I don't even live in VA, but I feel compelled to support someone with a clue by putting a little money behind him.
Excellent point. However, I would say the analogy still holds in much the same way that the Government does regulate security issues associated with sensitive areas (nuclear power plants, etc.). But the regulation has to do with a sector that is particularly well positioned to be harmful, not the general sense.
Extending back to the original analogy, the regulations should apply to what's behind the door, rather than to the fact that you have a door.
Congress doesn't regulate whether individuals or corporations lock their doors, install security alarms, or any of a plethora of physical security measures. Then, why would I want them to step into the fray and regulate security responses and policies in cyberspace?
To begin with, the government doesn't move fast. Given that time scales associated with the IT was becoming smaller and smaller, the iterrations would go through many cycles before Congress knows what hit them. Attempting to regulate the arena would get in the way.
Secondly, Congress obfuscates rather than clarrifies. Look at the DMCA - which causes more problems for the industry than it solves. It's great for the conventional copyright holder but has the effect of stiffling digital advances. Congress moving to mandate information security policies or measures would be the same thing - the paradym they are working under doesn't apply well to this technology or the time scales under which it operates.
Let the industry that's used to the pace of things set the policies. Congress is better suited to time scales where change occurs in years, not days.
Yeah, but do you really want to take delivery of the package they'll be sending?
I have an 8 node cluster with IBM DeskStar 75GXP drives in each node. The cluster has been operating for about 5 months. In that time, I have had drive failures in four of the eight nodes.
Others in my organization have experienced problems with these drives
Your mileage my vary, but they look like lemons to me!
... will sell you one.
Price depends on bells and whistles, but the 8 node, dual processor P-III system we got with SCI cards ran around $35K.
http://www.wsm.com
By suggesting the use of an X-Ray machine to examine the interior of this computer, you are describing a method by which one can determine the layout of the circuit board (which is protected by copyright).
Since the case is secured by a means to prevent access (screws) except as authorized by the copyright holder, you have, in effect, transported a method to bypass said method of "encryption." As such, you have potentially violated rights under the DMCA.
Please remove the description of the x-ray methodology and all links from your site. Failure to do so may make you potentially liable for copyright violation and subject to civil penalties.
DMCA - the Peter Principle of Legislation
My absolute favorite story along these lines resulted from actions of a former coworker and current friend.
At my former consulting company, we had the pleasure of working as one of many similarly specialized contractors to an entity that will remain nameless. As each of the contractors were constantly jockeying for position and work, oneupsmanship and behind the scenes backstabbing was the name of the game. However, on the surface, we were all good little people, playing nice, and sharing our toys.
In this particular instance, my former company was working along-side another company to create a database management system and to populate the database with data that had been QA'ed (our part was the data). Since the chunk we had employed more people, it was the most lucritive - which meant is was enormously attractive to our development partner. In an attempt to try to "take the work off our hands," our playmate started making a lot of noise about the fact that our data effort was falling behind schedule and that, as a result, the delivery of the system was being delayed.
Well, it was true the data reduction was taking longer; some of the data was real junk and had to be analyzed ad nauseum. However, what our buddies across the way weren't telling was that they hadn't been working on the stuff that hard and weren't ready themselves (though, they had been charging). We knew it, but we were holding the wrong end of the stick. At the weekly project review meeting, we were going to get smacked around for delaying things and needed to be able to deflect some of the blame back to our amigos across the tables.
On the day of the meeting, the criticism starts as usual. But, just as it begins, my coworker whips out a 9-track tape and says, "Well, we've finally overcome the difficulties. Here's the tape for you to populate your tables with." Immediately, the tables turn and our buddies are giving details of when things will be ready for review.
After the meeting, I am talking with my friend. "We aren't finished with the data analysis yet. What gives?"
"Oh, I know," he replies. "But, they don't know that. And, now, we'll see if they are actually finished or if they are blowing smoke. The tape is blank. If they come back saying that that can't read the tape, we know their further along than we thought. But, if we don't hear anything, we'll know they're too busy trying to make up for lost time than to try to read the tape."
Sure enough, two months goes by - not a word. "Is everything all right," we ask. "Fine, still working on getting the data in the system," they reply.
In the meantime, we keep working on the analysis. By the time they are to the point of attempting a tape read, we are done. As soon as we hear, "we are having trouble reading your tape," we have a new legitimate one ready to go and they've been on the spit for two months.
You gotta love it!