I use Opera and sometimes Mozilla. I have both set to identify as "MSIE 5.0" so I can go to those "Designed for Microsoft only" sites. Anyway, I am sure that this type of thing throws off the stats a bit, doesn't it?
I just bought the Hughes Directv Tivo box from Circuit Shitty. $94. Personally, I am paying the $10/month for the Tivo service because I like it.
Remote kinda sucks but the functionality of the unit rules. Plugged the optical TOS Link into the stereo and now I am watching movies in Dolby Digital. Really nice unit.
Now, I love a conspiracy theory as much as anyone, but this plane did not come down the same way. For starters, this one came down in a heavily populated area on a penninsula. Had the plane traveled for another 45 seconds (or even less?) before going down, it would plop into the water. (Unless of course, it turned and was headed toward land.)
Also, from what I gather right now, it had only been in the air for 2 minutes. I find it hard to believe that any Air Force jets could get information that the plane was compromised, get into position to fire, and verify that the plane was a legit target before firing within that timeframe. Then again, I am not an expert on these things so perhaps anything is possible.
The article also states: While stopping short of a full denial-of-service attack, the method could substantially clog the target computer's Internet connection.
Could someone please clarify how this stops short of a DoS in any way??
I think that instead of just writing to my congressmen, I will CC: it to John Ashcroft. This is clearly a criminal act no matter how much the RIAA tries to disguise it. I put faith in the community to stop this from materializing.
The article quotes in reference to the RIAA's last attempt to stop filesharing: "We referred to it as the 'license to virus,'" said one congressional staffer. "It would have given them the incentive to employ lots of hackers trying to figure out how to stop (MusicCity), Morpheus or Audiogalaxy."
So now the RIAA wants a 'license to DoS'. Give me a break.. This is by far more criminal than ripping some MP3s!
I mean, they have "Walk Like an Egyptian" by the Bangels on this list...
Is this a joke or is this just a list of songs that radio stations should 'tip-toe' around for the next week or so to keep people from getting depressed??
I just read "The Devil's Code" by John Sandford last week. It addresses backdoors for the gov't in encryption. Pretty scary remifications are possible, but of course this is just fiction. or is it?:)
I thought that it was common knowledge that the older you are the higher risk you are to having a child with Downs. Most of the effected patients were over 35 which is when this becomes a real risk. Aside from that, how accurate is this testing (when it is calculated correctly)? I don't know about you, but even if the test said I was okay, I would still expect that risk.
Re:What can be done? Nothing.
on
More On Tragedy
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· Score: 2
And one way is to punish and destroy completely those responsible so that those that do try to come along in the future think twice about fucking with us.
But how does this work when you are dealing with suicide bombers?
Don't get me wrong here, I agree with you but I am playing the Devil's Advocate so I can try to figure out what would be the most effective response so as to make this type of attack unappealing.
Re:What can be done? Nothing.
on
More On Tragedy
·
· Score: 2
but if we kill terrorists, at least those we kill won't be able to do anything like this again.
Great idea, but it lacks the reality component. You see, you can kill them, kill them all. Then next year, there is another, and after him/her there is another. There will always be another. You see, terrorism will always exist as long as it is effective. As long as it spurs a reaction that may cause a nation to change.
The main objective of a terrorist is to make the civil public change their views which in turn changes public policy and the government's role. Does it always work? Not really. But it does make us think about the message. It makes us think "Why would someone be so desperate to make themselves heard that they would kill thousands of civilians as well as themselves?" That question is followed by the inevitable "...and what is that message??".
I am not saying that just ignoring this terrible attack is the way to go. I still think making whomever is responsible pay is a priority. But I think that we need to maintain our focus as a nation and to look into ways that we can make this type of terrorism ineffective and as difficult as possible to implement.
Nice post! You did forget to mention that a 1.4Ghz Athlon performs pretty darn close to if not as well as a 2.0Ghz P4. Faster clock speed does not mean sh!t. I want to know which one renders 3d faster, compiles kernals faster, and downloads pr0n faster, er- wait.. forget that last part...
Lets wait until the investigation is finished and then, if it's Microsoft, bash them really good.
Good point, I agree. Just because a journalist reported it does not mean that it is fact. If you read the article, you will notice that nothing indicates that it is actually M$ doing this. It could be anybody. The motive can be that of the letters which would help M$ or the motive is for the letters to be discovered as fake to hurt M$. Either way, it is too early to tell who actually was behind this.
I do not know how it stacks up to google but I know that it is pretty darn fast.
Re:Does this effect Telocity/DirectTV customers
on
Rhythms Flatlines
·
· Score: 2
Being one of those Telocity/DirecTV users that is on a Rhythms provider I must say... it does not look too good. I imagine that Telocity/DirecTV will just work us through a painful transition to Covad which may be around for a few more months...
Man, what is left besides cable? Perhaps I will just get a dry line to my office and SDSL to our T1.
Club membership requirements for them probably looked like this: they either bring and share beer/chicks, or be really good at cleaning up after Ph.D. students.
Ha! There are no chicks near North Campus (which is where the solar team works)... I guess the undergrads would have to import them from Central Campus.... Perhaps they can use a solar-powered transit system to shuttle the girls to north campus though...
Speaking of being a jackass... don't blame it completely on the admins either. There is about 3 security bulletins from M$ per week. This patch in question requires SP1 to be installed as well. If the IIS server was up withoug SP1 then that requires 2 reboots to get the server patched. In many cases, the admins are overworked and cannot get to every patch all the time. Sure, the admins should be able to get the patch on before hell breaks loose but hindsight is always 20/20.
Personally, I had 1 of 3 IIS servers at my job vulnerable and it was 'ploited. Of course, when it the Code Red worm infected that server, the server took out one of my 2500 series Cisco routers. That was fun since it was still too early in the day to know that it was indeed the worm causing the problems. I am the only IT person here, supporting 75 users, 17 servers, 100+ workstations. I do support, net admin, and IT department management. I am currently upgrading the corporate website, doing a software audit, a hardware audit, reconfiging our routers, I have 30+ helpdesk issues in my queue and I am late on 4 projects. I also advise our development team on network related aspects and I am trying to put up a new FTP server, backup server and mail server. I have enough on my plate then to jump at every damn MS Security Bulletin. There are just so damn many of them! I am overworked as it is yet my CEO still asks "What exactly does he do again?".
In the future will I put a little more time at getting the patches on the IIS servers when they come out? Sure will. Did I learn a lesson? Yes. Did my company learn a lesson? Nope. Not until I leave this place and they have nobody around...
Using a lot of proprietary components didn't help.
on
Compaq Shifts Focus
·
· Score: 3
Anti-flame disclaimer: I am not an expert of Compaq hardware, nor do I know how the current Compaq PCs are shipped. If I am incorrect, it is because this is my impression of Compaq hardware from the past, and that carried on to my current impression of them. If this info does not currently hold true, that is becase Compaq did nothing to change this rather common impression of them and their hardware.
Compaq desktops suck because they are so darn proprietary. They leave very little headroom for upgrades and the upgrades that are available are very expensive. The average user may not notice this but there is a reason that Compaq is getting out of the PC market and the reason is because people are reluctant to buy it due to negative word-of-mouth! Compaq could have easily avoided this common impression by pumping more money into marketing but they didn't. That is one big reason why they are crapping out today. If they would have used more standard equipment and offered better upgrade packages for the older models, they would have been better off in the long run. I understand that the goal was to get people to buy a new PC every time the old one got too old, but that closed mindset came back to bite them really really hard in the Compass.
but if they could have one for failure to use a turn signal, I'd be all for it!
Kinda funny you mention it. Just today, I was sitting in traffic and I thought to myself; If I was a cop, I would become known as the 'turn signal cop'.
I would spend my entire traffic duty pulling over people that do not use the signal for lane changes and turns. I would also follow all cell-phoners until they do something stupid and then pull them over for that...
I never make space for someone to come over to my lane if they neglect to signal. But if they signal, no problemo. It is unfortunate that where I live, people are so aggresive that if you do use your signal to change lanes, people will speed up just to block you...
Your complaint conveniently leaves out that GM has has electric cars far longer than Toyota/Honda have had their hybrids. Take a look at the GM EV1; it's used primarily in fleets.
First off, it is not a complaint. It is an observation. Secondly, I could give a rat's ass about fleets and the EV1. I am talking about consumer vehicles. Ford has had the Dearborn, MI police department on methane-gasoline hybrid vehicles for years and years now. GM has been working on pure-electric vehicles for ages. Chrysler..well, I have no clue what the hell Chrysler is up to anymore... My point is that the Big-3 will not introduce any type of alternative fuel vehicle to the mass-market. Period.
I am cynical. I really hope (for the sake of us all) that I am completely wrong on all of this but I am afraid that I am not. The Big-3 does not care about civil-responsibility, they care about the bottom line. If it sells, sell it! Now, that is not necessarily wrong, especially if you are a shareholder, but it would be nice if a stronger effort toward greener vehicles could be made.
It is kinda like Ford calling the Expedition an 'LEV' (Low Emissions Vehicle) just because it passes the guidelines that Ford's lobbyists got through congress. I sometimes feel that they are brainwashing us into thinking that something magical is happening under the hood that makes a V8 efficient again. Oh yeah, and we need a V8 to get through the tough terrain of the suburbs.
I think the Big-3 would be even more prosperous if they would stop playing into the 'penis-complex psyche' and take another angle, like to come up with a realistic first-step into the next-generation of vehicles. A hybrid that has power, is very safe, yet has a very classic look.
Face it, 20 years from now, I hope to God that we are not all driving cars that get 9MPG. Unless the Big-3 get on the ball, they are going to get hurt and fall behind.
Cingular Wireless has just started a billboard campaign the irritates the hell out of me. The billboards have a peace sign, a smiley face, and the Cingular logo. Underneath it reads: "Peace, Happiness, Cingular."
Back in the late 70's the Big-3 were having fun producing big muscle cars and fuel economy was not a factor in design or in the forecasting. Most Americans laughed at the Hondas and Toyotas. Then the fuel crisis hit and the Japanese carmakers were suddenly taken seriously by the consumers.
Shortly afterward, the Big-3 made feeble attempts to compete with the Japanese automakers. The Big-3 got through the tough times, but it sure wasn't pretty.
Now it is the really early 90's. The economy is on the rise, gas prices are stable, things are good. Ford throws an SUV chassis onto a pickup frame and the Explorer is born. It is featured in Jurassic Park and suddenly everyone wants one.
The next thing you know, the 'Bigger is Better' mindset catches on. By now, the mid to late 90's are here, the internet is booming, the stock market is great and gas prices are still pretty good! The Suburbans, Tahoes, Expeditions, Excursions etc are the hot thing for the soccer-moms now cuz everyone has one. 9 MPG is the standard, but nobody cares!
Meanwhile, silently Honda and Toyota R&D are working on this concept. It is a hybrid system that will allow a car to use both a gas and electricity. 60 - 80 MPG is the projected outcome. Most scoff at the lack of power and the unrealistic use of this type of car.
Then the bottom falls out. The market goes down, an oil tycoon gets elected, and OPEC thinks that we need a reality-check. The economy settles down, the gas prices skyrocket, Explorers are flipping like hotcakes instead of selling like hotcakes and suddenly the $50,000 SUV that gets 9 MPG is not the best idea.
At the same time, the Honda Insight and Toyota Prius take to the market. Yes, they are small. Yes, they are not speedsters. Yes, they are $20,000 and get unprecedented fuel mileage.
Now, Ford and GM harp up. "Hey, we are working on these nice little fuel-cell technologies. We rule!"
Sounds a little like GM's 'Impact' concept car from the mid-80's to me. That never materialized, nor will this. It is just history repeating itself... so don't worry. Perhaps after you pay off the Excursion you can get a loan to buy a Peterbuilt or Kenworth... just maybe.
Well, that is just my take on the situation. Just some guy from Detroit.
Slashdot Mirror
Could someone please tell me what does RTFM stand for?!?!
:)
RTFM!!!
Thanks for the set-up!
I use Opera and sometimes Mozilla. I have both set to identify as "MSIE 5.0" so I can go to those "Designed for Microsoft only" sites. Anyway, I am sure that this type of thing throws off the stats a bit, doesn't it?
I just bought the Hughes Directv Tivo box from Circuit Shitty. $94. Personally, I am paying the $10/month for the Tivo service because I like it.
Remote kinda sucks but the functionality of the unit rules. Plugged the optical TOS Link into the stereo and now I am watching movies in Dolby Digital. Really nice unit.
Go to www.circuitcity.com and search for "GXCEBOTD".
NOW you can get 4 dreamcasts for the price of 1 gamecube. Incredible!
This is getting quite old, but I have to do it...
BEOWOLF CLUSTER!!!
Now, I love a conspiracy theory as much as anyone, but this plane did not come down the same way. For starters, this one came down in a heavily populated area on a penninsula. Had the plane traveled for another 45 seconds (or even less?) before going down, it would plop into the water. (Unless of course, it turned and was headed toward land.)
Also, from what I gather right now, it had only been in the air for 2 minutes. I find it hard to believe that any Air Force jets could get information that the plane was compromised, get into position to fire, and verify that the plane was a legit target before firing within that timeframe. Then again, I am not an expert on these things so perhaps anything is possible.
I guess as long as your gov't does not censor it first... ;)
The article also states: While stopping short of a full denial-of-service attack, the method could substantially clog the target computer's Internet connection.
Could someone please clarify how this stops short of a DoS in any way??
I think that instead of just writing to my congressmen, I will CC: it to John Ashcroft. This is clearly a criminal act no matter how much the RIAA tries to disguise it. I put faith in the community to stop this from materializing.
The article quotes in reference to the RIAA's last attempt to stop filesharing: "We referred to it as the 'license to virus,'" said one congressional staffer. "It would have given them the incentive to employ lots of hackers trying to figure out how to stop (MusicCity), Morpheus or Audiogalaxy."
So now the RIAA wants a 'license to DoS'. Give me a break.. This is by far more criminal than ripping some MP3s!
So, is your software 'free' as in beer?
Uh, no. It is costs money as in prostitute.
I mean, they have "Walk Like an Egyptian" by the Bangels on this list...
Is this a joke or is this just a list of songs that radio stations should 'tip-toe' around for the next week or so to keep people from getting depressed??
I just read "The Devil's Code" by John Sandford last week. It addresses backdoors for the gov't in encryption. Pretty scary remifications are possible, but of course this is just fiction. or is it? :)
You can check the book out at Amazon here.
Or just search for ISBN 0399146504.
I thought that it was common knowledge that the older you are the higher risk you are to having a child with Downs. Most of the effected patients were over 35 which is when this becomes a real risk. Aside from that, how accurate is this testing (when it is calculated correctly)? I don't know about you, but even if the test said I was okay, I would still expect that risk.
And one way is to punish and destroy completely those responsible so that those that do try to come along in the future think twice about fucking with us.
But how does this work when you are dealing with suicide bombers?
Don't get me wrong here, I agree with you but I am playing the Devil's Advocate so I can try to figure out what would be the most effective response so as to make this type of attack unappealing.
but if we kill terrorists, at least those we kill won't be able to do anything like this again.
Great idea, but it lacks the reality component. You see, you can kill them, kill them all. Then next year, there is another, and after him/her there is another. There will always be another. You see, terrorism will always exist as long as it is effective. As long as it spurs a reaction that may cause a nation to change.
The main objective of a terrorist is to make the civil public change their views which in turn changes public policy and the government's role. Does it always work? Not really. But it does make us think about the message. It makes us think "Why would someone be so desperate to make themselves heard that they would kill thousands of civilians as well as themselves?" That question is followed by the inevitable "...and what is that message??".
I am not saying that just ignoring this terrible attack is the way to go. I still think making whomever is responsible pay is a priority. But I think that we need to maintain our focus as a nation and to look into ways that we can make this type of terrorism ineffective and as difficult as possible to implement.
Nice post! You did forget to mention that a 1.4Ghz Athlon performs pretty darn close to if not as well as a 2.0Ghz P4. Faster clock speed does not mean sh!t. I want to know which one renders 3d faster, compiles kernals faster, and downloads pr0n faster, er- wait.. forget that last part...
Lets wait until the investigation is finished and then, if it's Microsoft, bash them really good.
Good point, I agree. Just because a journalist reported it does not mean that it is fact. If you read the article, you will notice that nothing indicates that it is actually M$ doing this. It could be anybody. The motive can be that of the letters which would help M$ or the motive is for the letters to be discovered as fake to hurt M$. Either way, it is too early to tell who actually was behind this.
Anyone try http://www.alltheweb.com??
I do not know how it stacks up to google but I know that it is pretty darn fast.
Being one of those Telocity/DirecTV users that is on a Rhythms provider I must say... it does not look too good. I imagine that Telocity/DirecTV will just work us through a painful transition to Covad which may be around for a few more months...
Man, what is left besides cable? Perhaps I will just get a dry line to my office and SDSL to our T1.
Club membership requirements for them probably looked like this: they either bring and share beer/chicks, or be really good at cleaning up after Ph.D. students.
Ha! There are no chicks near North Campus (which is where the solar team works)... I guess the undergrads would have to import them from Central Campus.... Perhaps they can use a solar-powered transit system to shuttle the girls to north campus though...
Speaking of being a jackass... don't blame it completely on the admins either. There is about 3 security bulletins from M$ per week. This patch in question requires SP1 to be installed as well. If the IIS server was up withoug SP1 then that requires 2 reboots to get the server patched. In many cases, the admins are overworked and cannot get to every patch all the time. Sure, the admins should be able to get the patch on before hell breaks loose but hindsight is always 20/20.
Personally, I had 1 of 3 IIS servers at my job vulnerable and it was 'ploited. Of course, when it the Code Red worm infected that server, the server took out one of my 2500 series Cisco routers. That was fun since it was still too early in the day to know that it was indeed the worm causing the problems. I am the only IT person here, supporting 75 users, 17 servers, 100+ workstations. I do support, net admin, and IT department management. I am currently upgrading the corporate website, doing a software audit, a hardware audit, reconfiging our routers, I have 30+ helpdesk issues in my queue and I am late on 4 projects. I also advise our development team on network related aspects and I am trying to put up a new FTP server, backup server and mail server. I have enough on my plate then to jump at every damn MS Security Bulletin. There are just so damn many of them! I am overworked as it is yet my CEO still asks "What exactly does he do again?".
In the future will I put a little more time at getting the patches on the IIS servers when they come out? Sure will. Did I learn a lesson? Yes. Did my company learn a lesson? Nope. Not until I leave this place and they have nobody around...
Anti-flame disclaimer: I am not an expert of Compaq hardware, nor do I know how the current Compaq PCs are shipped. If I am incorrect, it is because this is my impression of Compaq hardware from the past, and that carried on to my current impression of them. If this info does not currently hold true, that is becase Compaq did nothing to change this rather common impression of them and their hardware.
Compaq desktops suck because they are so darn proprietary. They leave very little headroom for upgrades and the upgrades that are available are very expensive. The average user may not notice this but there is a reason that Compaq is getting out of the PC market and the reason is because people are reluctant to buy it due to negative word-of-mouth! Compaq could have easily avoided this common impression by pumping more money into marketing but they didn't. That is one big reason why they are crapping out today. If they would have used more standard equipment and offered better upgrade packages for the older models, they would have been better off in the long run. I understand that the goal was to get people to buy a new PC every time the old one got too old, but that closed mindset came back to bite them really really hard in the Compass.
Of course, that is just my opinion.
but if they could have one for failure to use a turn signal, I'd be all for it!
Kinda funny you mention it. Just today, I was sitting in traffic and I thought to myself; If I was a cop, I would become known as the 'turn signal cop'.
I would spend my entire traffic duty pulling over people that do not use the signal for lane changes and turns. I would also follow all cell-phoners until they do something stupid and then pull them over for that...
I never make space for someone to come over to my lane if they neglect to signal. But if they signal, no problemo. It is unfortunate that where I live, people are so aggresive that if you do use your signal to change lanes, people will speed up just to block you...
Your complaint conveniently leaves out that GM has has electric cars far longer than Toyota/Honda have had their hybrids. Take a look at the GM EV1; it's used primarily in fleets.
First off, it is not a complaint. It is an observation. Secondly, I could give a rat's ass about fleets and the EV1. I am talking about consumer vehicles. Ford has had the Dearborn, MI police department on methane-gasoline hybrid vehicles for years and years now. GM has been working on pure-electric vehicles for ages. Chrysler..well, I have no clue what the hell Chrysler is up to anymore... My point is that the Big-3 will not introduce any type of alternative fuel vehicle to the mass-market. Period.
I am cynical. I really hope (for the sake of us all) that I am completely wrong on all of this but I am afraid that I am not. The Big-3 does not care about civil-responsibility, they care about the bottom line. If it sells, sell it! Now, that is not necessarily wrong, especially if you are a shareholder, but it would be nice if a stronger effort toward greener vehicles could be made.
It is kinda like Ford calling the Expedition an 'LEV' (Low Emissions Vehicle) just because it passes the guidelines that Ford's lobbyists got through congress. I sometimes feel that they are brainwashing us into thinking that something magical is happening under the hood that makes a V8 efficient again. Oh yeah, and we need a V8 to get through the tough terrain of the suburbs.
I think the Big-3 would be even more prosperous if they would stop playing into the 'penis-complex psyche' and take another angle, like to come up with a realistic first-step into the next-generation of vehicles. A hybrid that has power, is very safe, yet has a very classic look.
Face it, 20 years from now, I hope to God that we are not all driving cars that get 9MPG. Unless the Big-3 get on the ball, they are going to get hurt and fall behind.
Cingular Wireless has just started a billboard campaign the irritates the hell out of me. The billboards have a peace sign, a smiley face, and the Cingular logo. Underneath it reads: "Peace, Happiness, Cingular."
Gee, how creative...
Back in the late 70's the Big-3 were having fun producing big muscle cars and fuel economy was not a factor in design or in the forecasting. Most Americans laughed at the Hondas and Toyotas. Then the fuel crisis hit and the Japanese carmakers were suddenly taken seriously by the consumers.
Shortly afterward, the Big-3 made feeble attempts to compete with the Japanese automakers. The Big-3 got through the tough times, but it sure wasn't pretty.
Now it is the really early 90's. The economy is on the rise, gas prices are stable, things are good. Ford throws an SUV chassis onto a pickup frame and the Explorer is born. It is featured in Jurassic Park and suddenly everyone wants one.
The next thing you know, the 'Bigger is Better' mindset catches on. By now, the mid to late 90's are here, the internet is booming, the stock market is great and gas prices are still pretty good! The Suburbans, Tahoes, Expeditions, Excursions etc are the hot thing for the soccer-moms now cuz everyone has one. 9 MPG is the standard, but nobody cares!
Meanwhile, silently Honda and Toyota R&D are working on this concept. It is a hybrid system that will allow a car to use both a gas and electricity. 60 - 80 MPG is the projected outcome. Most scoff at the lack of power and the unrealistic use of this type of car.
Then the bottom falls out. The market goes down, an oil tycoon gets elected, and OPEC thinks that we need a reality-check. The economy settles down, the gas prices skyrocket, Explorers are flipping like hotcakes instead of selling like hotcakes and suddenly the $50,000 SUV that gets 9 MPG is not the best idea.
At the same time, the Honda Insight and Toyota Prius take to the market. Yes, they are small. Yes, they are not speedsters. Yes, they are $20,000 and get unprecedented fuel mileage.
Now, Ford and GM harp up. "Hey, we are working on these nice little fuel-cell technologies. We rule!"
Sounds a little like GM's 'Impact' concept car from the mid-80's to me. That never materialized, nor will this. It is just history repeating itself... so don't worry. Perhaps after you pay off the Excursion you can get a loan to buy a Peterbuilt or Kenworth... just maybe.
Well, that is just my take on the situation. Just some guy from Detroit.