About 50% of the time I will have someone take my card, scan it, and just hand it back... the other 50% of the time I do it myself and they never even see the signature line.
All-in-All, we sure do need better security on our monies, especially as we move towards a cashless society.
"At least my credit card has a signature on the back for the cashiers to pretend to examine."
Like they even do this anymore these days... the signature strip on the back of my card has worn out the point where "VOID" is rather easily visible now.
Only once in the past three months was I even asked for additional ID since my signature wasn't readable... once.
Nobody has ever commented on the fact that my card now says VOID across the back where the signature strip used to be/still partially is.
Heck I bet nobody would notice if the name on the front of the card wasn't even mine.;)
In the European Unioin there are common laws that specifically prohibit the region coding scheme, so region-free players there are legal.:)
Here in North America the player you buy at any "normal" chain will be Region 1. Though quite a few have built-in backdoors to change the region or make region-free.
When I can afford to I will buy an iPod, however, I would of been quite upset if there was NO way to copy MY music OFF the device.
I paid for my computer, I'll have paid for my iPod and I've paid for my music. Why the heck should someone tell me I can copy my music ONTO my iPod but not back OFF?
If Apple ever makes an iPod where this becomes impossible I will have to buy an older-generation model, but I sure wouldn't buy a restricted one!
The "fucking" hex edit is simply to re-enable a plugin to allow a nice drag-n-drop interface inside iTunes.
Use the terminal copy/paste if you'd like, but why the hostility towards someone simply showing how to re-enable something that never should of been disbled in the first place?;)
The exact same methods ClearType uses on LCD panels are being used here by Samsung, albeit in hardware instead of just software.
Sub-pixel displays have been around for years, one of the first uses of it was on the old Atari/Apple computers.
In the higest resolution one pixel wound up being "smaller" then a full pixel on the television screen. This would up with "odd" pixels showing up brown'ish and "even" pixels showing up red'ish. An odd and an even pixel adjacent to each other would make white.
If you can control the sub-pixels on a tiny LCD screen then you can make screen seem larger horizontally or vertically depending on the algorithm used.
This is exactly what ClearType does, internally the font is rendered larger then the actual resolution of the screen and then is sub-pixel rendered to produce very fine antialaising and better readability.
I can imagine this would work quite well for other things then text, but can see issues with aliasing and artifacting as well as readability on smaller screens.
"I would never "plug in" to such a device because I don't have the mental control to avoid thinking about things which I want to keep secret. And I doubt many other people do, either."
The key word you missed is... "yet".
Once "telepathic" communication becomes instant as thought your brain WILL adjust and you WILL learn how to vet your thoughts before they go out over the wire.
It will only take a few instances of the example you gave before your brain catches up and develops this new automatic response.;)
Probably a good thing you went with the kiosk style, I can't begin to imagine how hot the inside of real phone booth would get in the middle of a desert!:D
There are other platforms out there you know, you can have a fully-functional computer without a line of Microsoft code on it if you really wanted to. Try Mac OSX, or your favourite flavour of Linux or BSD.
If you've been using computers for as long as you say I really doubt you will be able to just "give them up" cold turkey.;)
Best of luck, however, I can't see myself ever deciding to cut myself off from the online world... even if MS is part of it.
"In addition to potentially overworking the muscles, I can see damage to the surface of the eyes coming from consistant, long-term over-blinking or under-blinking."
There are people with nervous tics who constantly blink... I happen to know one such person, and he blinks a good 5x more often then anyone I've ever known.
As far as I know he has excellent vision and his constant rapid blinking hasn't deteroriated his eyes or eyelids any.
Really, then explain why I have a nice western digital drive here that I've just successfully been able to peel the entire top label from without/any/ damage.
Even the other little stickers seem to come off just fine... the only ones that have severe issues are the "protection" ones that leave behind bits of themselves spelling out "VOID" or somesuch.
We once bought a nice 80gb drive from Future Shop as an "open box" drive... whoever had the drive prior had low-level formatted it to 2gb... and we couldn't find any way to get the other 78gb back... so we returned it, but also told them exactly why we were.
This is so true it's not even funny... I have at/least/ 50 CD's I would NOT have even thought twice of bying pre-P2P.
I bought them because I had downloaded some of the artitsts music via P2P and really enjoyed it and wanted better quality. Legally owning a copy and getting the "extras" is also a nice benefit.;)
Slashdot Mirror
Wow, remind me if I ever get a job in the same building as you to request a transfer.
;)
You sound like one heck of a killjoy to work around, for, or probably even near.
Here's a dollar, go buy a sense of humor?
About 50% of the time I will have someone take my card, scan it, and just hand it back... the other 50% of the time I do it myself and they never even see the signature line.
All-in-All, we sure do need better security on our monies, especially as we move towards a cashless society.
"At least my credit card has a signature on the back for the cashiers to pretend to examine."
;)
Like they even do this anymore these days... the signature strip on the back of my card has worn out the point where "VOID" is rather easily visible now.
Only once in the past three months was I even asked for additional ID since my signature wasn't readable... once.
Nobody has ever commented on the fact that my card now says VOID across the back where the signature strip used to be/still partially is.
Heck I bet nobody would notice if the name on the front of the card wasn't even mine.
In the European Unioin there are common laws that specifically prohibit the region coding scheme, so region-free players there are legal. :)
Here in North America the player you buy at any "normal" chain will be Region 1. Though quite a few have built-in backdoors to change the region or make region-free.
When I can afford to I will buy an iPod, however, I would of been quite upset if there was NO way to copy MY music OFF the device.
I paid for my computer, I'll have paid for my iPod and I've paid for my music. Why the heck should someone tell me I can copy my music ONTO my iPod but not back OFF?
If Apple ever makes an iPod where this becomes impossible I will have to buy an older-generation model, but I sure wouldn't buy a restricted one!
"Manufacturers made it rather easy to disable region coding, to the extent that a salesman could do it on the way to a cash register."
;)
Um, last I checked the region coding was done via the DVD Player hardware/software and wasn't something a salesman can do on the way to the checkout.
Generally this requires a flashing of the BIOS of the DVD player, which is illegal in many places.
Granted the region coding is trivial to bypass, but not quite that trivial.
The "fucking" hex edit is simply to re-enable a plugin to allow a nice drag-n-drop interface inside iTunes.
;)
Use the terminal copy/paste if you'd like, but why the hostility towards someone simply showing how to re-enable something that never should of been disbled in the first place?
I would imagine there would be some hardware level saftey interlocks happening to prevent something like this.
;)
:}
If the mirror fails I would imagine the first thing the system would do is shut off the laser beam to prevent damage.
Just hopefully the saftey protocols are in hardware and not software by Microsoft.
"What don't you want to see today?"
"You can't help but wonder how many failed gadgets of the 70's would be selling like hotcakes now in the era of QVC and informercials..."
;)
Have you watched much late-night/early-morning televisions, or the "shopping" channels?
There is soooooo much crap for sale these days it probably puts the entire output of the 70's to shame!
Since when does the Slashdot title, or even the summary, always match the articles in question? ;)
:}
Or, are you new around here?
But... ClearType *does* do this... :)
The exact same methods ClearType uses on LCD panels are being used here by Samsung, albeit in hardware instead of just software.
Sub-pixel displays have been around for years, one of the first uses of it was on the old Atari/Apple computers.
In the higest resolution one pixel wound up being "smaller" then a full pixel on the television screen. This would up with "odd" pixels showing up brown'ish and "even" pixels showing up red'ish. An odd and an even pixel adjacent to each other would make white.
If you can control the sub-pixels on a tiny LCD screen then you can make screen seem larger horizontally or vertically depending on the algorithm used.
This is exactly what ClearType does, internally the font is rendered larger then the actual resolution of the screen and then is sub-pixel rendered to produce very fine antialaising and better readability.
I can imagine this would work quite well for other things then text, but can see issues with aliasing and artifacting as well as readability on smaller screens.
"I would never "plug in" to such a device because I don't have the mental control to avoid thinking about things which I want to keep secret. And I doubt many other people do, either."
;)
The key word you missed is... "yet".
Once "telepathic" communication becomes instant as thought your brain WILL adjust and you WILL learn how to vet your thoughts before they go out over the wire.
It will only take a few instances of the example you gave before your brain catches up and develops this new automatic response.
Good lord, this is an OLD joke... and isn't from the Columbia disaster, but rather the Challenger disaster in the 80's.
"See ya in hell, Mike the Corpse."
:D
OMG, ok for some reason that really gave me one heck of a good laugh! Thanks!
Probably a good thing you went with the kiosk style, I can't begin to imagine how hot the inside of real phone booth would get in the middle of a desert! :D
Wow, talk about an over-reaction...
;)
There are other platforms out there you know, you can have a fully-functional computer without a line of Microsoft code on it if you really wanted to. Try Mac OSX, or your favourite flavour of Linux or BSD.
If you've been using computers for as long as you say I really doubt you will be able to just "give them up" cold turkey.
Best of luck, however, I can't see myself ever deciding to cut myself off from the online world... even if MS is part of it.
"In addition to potentially overworking the muscles, I can see damage to the surface of the eyes coming from consistant, long-term over-blinking or under-blinking."
There are people with nervous tics who constantly blink... I happen to know one such person, and he blinks a good 5x more often then anyone I've ever known.
As far as I know he has excellent vision and his constant rapid blinking hasn't deteroriated his eyes or eyelids any.
Jebus, gun sales in the US don't NEED to take a "sharp incline"... there are enough weapons in the hands of US Citizens to start a revolution ALREADY.
;)
Well, maybe if the revolution starts in Texas...
Was there a 4 *kilometer* diameter mushroom cloud reported along with a crater visible via satellite?
;)
I mean, if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck... it's probably not a banana.
Really, then explain why I have a nice western digital drive here that I've just successfully been able to peel the entire top label from without /any/ damage.
Even the other little stickers seem to come off just fine... the only ones that have severe issues are the "protection" ones that leave behind bits of themselves spelling out "VOID" or somesuch.
We once bought a nice 80gb drive from Future Shop as an "open box" drive... whoever had the drive prior had low-level formatted it to 2gb... and we couldn't find any way to get the other 78gb back... so we returned it, but also told them exactly why we were.
You might want to search for "googol" instead, if you mean 10^100 ;)
The United Corporate States of America, where did you think? ;)
Why even take pictures?
:)
Just write down the barcode number and print them off yourself with any standard barcode printing software.
This is so true it's not even funny... I have at /least/ 50 CD's I would NOT have even thought twice of bying pre-P2P.
;)
I bought them because I had downloaded some of the artitsts music via P2P and really enjoyed it and wanted better quality. Legally owning a copy and getting the "extras" is also a nice benefit.
Actually, I just got an invite finally last night from someone else I know. :)
:)
Thanks anyways, I do appricate the offer.