"If builders built buildings the way programmers wrote programs, then the first woodpecker that came along would destroy civilization."
-Gerald Weinberg
To date, no agency has taken point on forcing the medical manufacturers to improve the information security profile of their products, with the FDA even dubbing such a risk unrealistic (PDF).
Since the summary ends before actually getting to the vulnerability it started to describe, here's the relevant text:
Now, in theory, you could change this hard-coded setting--but all Windows RT devices use UEFI, and so Secure Boot detects the altered code and locks the system down. Secure Boot doesn't stop you from changing the setting in memory, however
The system has worked rather well, but I admit the security of it is based on obscurity - that the teens don't know what enables the restricted content! If they ever figured it out, I'd switch to a secure token.
That assumes you'll know if/when they figure it out. Why not switch to a secure token now and avoid the possibility of them accessing restricted material without you ever realizing there's a problem?
My parents' did that for their grandson - they asked what he wanted for his birthday and all he said was "I don't know/care". Well, that year he got a pink dress. Next year, he had plenty of good ideas.
This is a good step, along with other such measures that do their best to prevent people convicted of sex crimes from having a chance of living a happy, productive life once they've served their time. We must continually tighten the screws on them and make sure they can't have lives that are worth too much to throw away in a moment of stress, rage, and frustration.
Because a dog that's constantly beaten and scolded is the one that behaves best, right?
There is another aspect to consider, though: what can someone deliberately aiming to pervert a law to prevent such behavior accomplish? It may be relatively easy to tell how the law is meant to be used, but you can be assured that, eventually, someone will try to twist it into a weapon against a target it was never intended to be used against. Or maybe some of the people championing it were planning to use it that way all along.
Either way, the slippery slope is something to be concerned about, because it doesn't matter that people (such as prosecutors or the police) can tell the difference between vaguely similar things if they don't care.
We don't force conscientious objectors to serve in the military.
We don't force religious parents to vaccinate their children.
We don't even force the Amish to pay Social Security or Medicare taxes.
About the only time we do force people to violate their belief systems is when it involves safety or imminent health issues.
So, why aren't we forcing parents to vaccinate their children?
And when the reckoning comes, you will be remembered as one who chose to support one of the evils rather to oppose both of them.
And is the warm feeling of standing up for your principles when you know, at the current moment, it's a doomed effort worth increasing the chance the 'greater evil' will win?
Do I think working toward something better is worthwhile? Absolutely. But I don't believe making a stand that only lets things get worse is the way to do it. Make your stand when it'll actually improve things. Until then, work for the future while still doing what you can for the present.
Please. Wireless controllers are so last generation. Sony will boldly stride forward, doing away with that stale gimmick and adding the temperature changing controller of tomorrow that everyone wants.
That's true, but if you leave the larger gap you need between you and the car in front, a lot of times, another car will just zip into that gap, making the situation even more dangerous for a time.
Slashdot Mirror
Great, that's just what we need... Chinese first post farmers.
"If builders built buildings the way programmers wrote programs, then the first woodpecker that came along would destroy civilization." -Gerald Weinberg
Zenophobia--that's the fear or hatred of Greek philosophers, right?
(Sorry)
I don't know, they may have something there... The US public has already petitioned its government to build one.
It also didn't help that those games were actually just E.T. for the Atari 2600 with (slightly) updated graphics...
Looks like this is right up the DHS's alley.
That assumes you'll know if/when they figure it out. Why not switch to a secure token now and avoid the possibility of them accessing restricted material without you ever realizing there's a problem?
Your computer will run better.
I don't know... Did Kennedy ride in on it?
Of course he did! Now he can accessorize!
Forget that! Add in the plans for a 90-year-old woman.
This is a good step, along with other such measures that do their best to prevent people convicted of sex crimes from having a chance of living a happy, productive life once they've served their time. We must continually tighten the screws on them and make sure they can't have lives that are worth too much to throw away in a moment of stress, rage, and frustration.
Because a dog that's constantly beaten and scolded is the one that behaves best, right?
There is another aspect to consider, though: what can someone deliberately aiming to pervert a law to prevent such behavior accomplish? It may be relatively easy to tell how the law is meant to be used, but you can be assured that, eventually, someone will try to twist it into a weapon against a target it was never intended to be used against. Or maybe some of the people championing it were planning to use it that way all along.
Either way, the slippery slope is something to be concerned about, because it doesn't matter that people (such as prosecutors or the police) can tell the difference between vaguely similar things if they don't care.
There is that, but if you are accused it's definitely best to be able to point to a small game console in your defense.
Well, certainly not English majors.
So, why aren't we forcing parents to vaccinate their children?
Magnifying the food also caused the subject to miss when trying to pick it up 10% of the time.
Now my Twinkies Cookbook is going to be useless... :(
And is the warm feeling of standing up for your principles when you know, at the current moment, it's a doomed effort worth increasing the chance the 'greater evil' will win?
Do I think working toward something better is worthwhile? Absolutely. But I don't believe making a stand that only lets things get worse is the way to do it. Make your stand when it'll actually improve things. Until then, work for the future while still doing what you can for the present.
Well, if you're looking for a romp through mathematics, how can we leave out the sad tale of Pretty Little Polynomial and Curly Pi?
RoboCop.
Please. Wireless controllers are so last generation. Sony will boldly stride forward, doing away with that stale gimmick and adding the temperature changing controller of tomorrow that everyone wants.
That's true, but if you leave the larger gap you need between you and the car in front, a lot of times, another car will just zip into that gap, making the situation even more dangerous for a time.