What's more important? Your privacy online, or the lives of millions? I'm willing to sacrifice a few tools in order to stop Al Qaeda, especially given the proven effectiveness of that organization.
Besides, if you have something you really want to keep secret, maybe the net isn't the best place to put it.
It seems to me that if you can provide enough power, then the joints/actuators can be armored to the point that they could take a few hits. We've got tanks that can roll over landmines, and the worst thing that happens to the crew is they wet their pants (and that's only if they're rookies.) So the joints can be armored, but there's got to be enough power to move around with all that armor.
Man, all this puts me in the mood for a game of Metal Gear.
Well, I think it would be tough for the open source community to get their hands on the tools necessary to even build the battle armor, much less to design the "seamless integration of human with machine" (paraphrasing). Plus, where are we going to get the weapons systems to accompany this baby? It's not something you pick up at the hardware store! I think this is best left to the pros. (Of course, I work for a very large gov't contracting company, so I might be the tiniest bit biased. ^_^)
They miss the fucking point. It is not a matter of piracy, it is a matter of being able to play the disk. All it takes to pirate a DVD disk is a DVD-R drive.
Despite how much anyone might want to think Ballmer was just Gates' lap dog, the fact is Gates originally hired Ballmer to handle the business end of things. So maybe Bill was in charge of the direction of the company, and handed down the orders to crush the opposition, but I'd bet my left one that Ballmer handled a huge chunk of implementing those orders. Bottom line? Don't expect anything to change.
National security reasons? Oh for Gods sake, what kind of classified information are you going to put into an operating system!? Yeah, right there in a control module, troop movements! And straight out of the Directorate of Operations, agent files! Get your paranoid head out of your ass.
Besides, the government would never get a first distribution out. The beaurecrats would never be able to agree on what features/capabilities they wanted it to support. The whole thing would get politicized, and if a distribution ever -did- see the light of day, it would be nearly useless for all the compromises made. Besides, the whole concept of open source is too on-the-fly for the government to emulate.
Every time I read a review about a "serious" book, it always says "blah blah blah Human Condition" or "Human Spirit." Can it, I'm tired of hearing it. Get a new line.
Then again, the more helpless the aforementioned morons get, the more in demand our skills will be. I for one have no problems with profiting from public stupidity.
Ah, but what is the job? The company views you as a resource... at best, to be sucked dry of all useful energy, and then they throw away your drained husk and get the next guy. If you think you work for the company, then you're ripe for being used. Everyone works for themselves. Even if you are employed somewhere, think of yourself as a private contractor... because the company sure sees you as a temp worker. You work for you, period. Your job is to work for bucks, which are then used to help fulfill your own life goals, whatever they may be. If your goals are in concert with the company's goals, great! If not, too damn bad for the company -- screw 'em. After all, they'd screw you (and if you wait long enough, they will).
Damn right. This is why the smart 'uns go into the consulting biz.
The original question was -attack-, not specifically through a computer. However, the whole debate is focusing on indirectly killing civillians through computer attacks. Pay attention next time.
Funny that other nations' troops are always the evil guys, despite using the same actions, tactics and weapons during war.
Maybe both sides are the evil guys. But you have to ally yourself with your homeland when there's a war on. There's a word for people who don't: "Traitor."
Can we really take the risk of letting people distrupt, either directly or indirectly, the infrastructure that a lot of people rely on? Something that could lead to deaths?
The situation is ripe for a first strike. If a Net strike can be used to kill power systems, then the victory goes to whoever pulls the plug first. Ditto for communication systems. I suppose we can only hope that the NSA has been doing more than just taping our phone calls...
Of course, the most secure millitary and intelligence installations carry their own generators and aren't networked outside their installation, so we can still strike back conventionally. But the beauty of cyber war is that no one has to die, you can win by massive inconvenience.:)
So change the government. You have a (small) say in what government gets voted in.
The phrase "microscopic dot on a microscopic dot" comes to mind. Besides, no matter who gets voted in, I deem it likely that the elected government will find the views of large corps more persuasive than mine, since the corps can back up their views with a whole lotta cash. Call me a cynic, but I simply don't believe that the average citizen has a say in government anymore.
What the hell kind of BS is that? I can't imagine any reason that could possibly get the media to sit on a story like that, King Gates or no.
Besides, why would Gates go to the trouble? Your story reeks, pal. But if you can back this up with some evidence, please don't hesitate to cough up the links.
You've gotta wonder about that, though. After all, the people who add companies to the dow are undoubtedly in the know. Would they add a company that had any chance of being split up to the Dow Jones Index? I think not. Too bad, though.
Slashdot Mirror
Besides, if you have something you really want to keep secret, maybe the net isn't the best place to put it.
-NDE
Man, all this puts me in the mood for a game of Metal Gear.
Well, I think it would be tough for the open source community to get their hands on the tools necessary to even build the battle armor, much less to design the "seamless integration of human with machine" (paraphrasing). Plus, where are we going to get the weapons systems to accompany this baby? It's not something you pick up at the hardware store! I think this is best left to the pros. (Of course, I work for a very large gov't contracting company, so I might be the tiniest bit biased. ^_^)
They miss the fucking point. It is not a matter of piracy, it is a matter of being able to play the disk. All it takes to pirate a DVD disk is a DVD-R drive.
Thank you, good night, and godspeed. ^_^
Relaxen und vatch das blinkenlichts!!
Sorry, couldn't resist...
So maybe Bill was in charge of the direction of the company, and handed down the orders to crush the opposition, but I'd bet my left one that Ballmer handled a huge chunk of implementing those orders.
Bottom line? Don't expect anything to change.
Besides, the whole concept of open source is too on-the-fly for the government to emulate.
Every time I read a review about a "serious" book, it always says "blah blah blah Human Condition" or "Human Spirit." Can it, I'm tired of hearing it. Get a new line.
Damn right. This is why the smart 'uns go into the consulting biz.
The original question was -attack-, not specifically through a computer. However, the whole debate is focusing on indirectly killing civillians through computer attacks. Pay attention next time.
Maybe both sides are the evil guys. But you have to ally yourself with your homeland when there's a war on. There's a word for people who don't:
"Traitor."
Why...in order to kill him, of course.
The situation is ripe for a first strike. If a Net strike can be used to kill power systems, then the victory goes to whoever pulls the plug first. Ditto for communication systems. I suppose we can only hope that the NSA has been doing more than just taping our phone calls...
Of course, the most secure millitary and intelligence installations carry their own generators and aren't networked outside their installation, so we can still strike back conventionally. But the beauty of cyber war is that no one has to die, you can win by massive inconvenience. :)
The phrase "microscopic dot on a microscopic dot" comes to mind. Besides, no matter who gets voted in, I deem it likely that the elected government will find the views of large corps more persuasive than mine, since the corps can back up their views with a whole lotta cash. Call me a cynic, but I simply don't believe that the average citizen has a say in government anymore.
Silly me, I -knew- I shouldn't have tried carpentry with firearms. Sign me up for the libertarian party!
The DoJ is directly controlled by the Executive branch. Who do you think initiated this whole mess?
Besides, why would Gates go to the trouble? Your story reeks, pal. But if you can back this up with some evidence, please don't hesitate to cough up the links.
Just out of school, I got started at $45,000. Of course, you have to look at the cost of living in DC.
You've gotta wonder about that, though. After all, the people who add companies to the dow are undoubtedly in the know. Would they add a company that had any chance of being split up to the Dow Jones Index? I think not. Too bad, though.