Actually your Comcast Motorola DVR can do it, it just isn't programmed into the remote by default. Just google "Comcast 15 second skip" and the first result will provide instructions. I reprogrammed the PiP buttons on the bottom right to go 30s forward and 15s back. Works AWESOME for skipping commercials.
Except that the US patent reform act currently in congress will be shifting to a preference for patents over prior art because it will reduce litigation. Of course this screws all the small startups who don't have the money to patent every little detail of a new product. Google has the money so the MUST patent every mundane detail of every application.
This doesn't make Google good or bad, it just costs more money to play the game. Congress is upping the ante at the table so only the big boys can play.
I'm glad someone else read the article and realized how absurd it was. Most people here appear to have just read the title and assumed they knew the content. While the premise may very well be true, vague reverences to philosophy and physics did absolutely nothing to prove the point.
This doesn't go anywhere near as high as congress in most cases and only goes as high as the PMO. You only see your piece of the puzzle when you're fixing applications in the field. Making changes to DOD applications requires massive quantities of input from all affected parties. A fix that may work for you could very well cause problems for someone who uses the software in a slightly different way. If the same software is used on multiple vehicles or weapons systems then you have distinctly different user communities with different needs which much be met. Even the simple changes require acceptance from a wide range of users. Most of this bureaucracy may seem redundant or pointless, but I have seen what happens when a system is not carefully managed and the war fighter is always the one who looses. This is the reason for all of the extra money going to contractors.
This has nothing to do with lobbyists. Software development takes flexibility in hiring. If you start a new project you usually have to hire and lay off according to skill sets so that you have the right programmers for the job. In military and civil service positions this is not possible because of excessive employment protections. Based on your experiences at the DMV or with the IRS, do you really want civil servants developing secure software with lives hanging in the balance?
I didn't expect a clear and sensible response here when the original post spent more time bashing the military than it did proving any kind of supporting evidence. It's true that a system becomes almost unusable for most software when all of the STIGs are applied. However, much of the problem lies with software developers who don't develop on fully STIG compliant systems. They design the software the same way as always, then request any conflicting STIGs be left out and mitigated on the OS side. This is a completely backwards approach to secure software development. Attempting to secure a system AFTER development is a recipe for failure.
When the developers are familiar with STIGs and include them in development from the early planning stages then it is not a problem. However, this is difficult when software development can take years and STIGs are constanty changing. It is also very difficult for contractors to receive any information on planned changes to STIGs so that they may prepare for it. The DOD security branches need to cooperate and be more inclusive with civilian software developers so it becomes easier to develop secure software.
There are also a lot more tools written for the existing temp controllers. I use a Stoker and control it via wireless from a computer using Stoker Log. This automatically graphs the entire cook process, then I add comments and save the info for the next time I cook the same thing. Even more awesome is that it can send Tweets to update the status and I can check on it and change the temperature using my phone while I'm at work or out picking up more beer for the BBQ.
When I used to run the smoker overnight on a 14 hour cook I got very restless sleep because I was always worried about the smoker. Now I just leave my TV on in the bedroom and all the temperatures and status are displayed at a glance. Plus it has an audible alarm through the TV so it will wake me up if the fire is dying out or food is done.
Netflix is a great place to get some of the old episodes but they have major gaps in the sub-plots. You can watch some of the "Trial of a Timelord" series but not all of it. They also don't have all of the stories written by Douglas Adams.
For a new viewer though, pre-2005 episodes may not be interesting. Most of us enjoy them out of nostalgia even though they can be quite terrible. It's just not the same without the interruptions for the PBS funds drive.
It's good to see some people can see past the exaggerated rhetoric. It's like the video of the bird covered in oil that kept playing on all the news stations. Did you notice it was always the same bird? That's because they couldn't find any more to film. LA, MS, FL beaches have never been cleaner or safer due to the huge crews combing the beaches.
There has also been a huge increase in oil eating bacteria. Oil spills have always been occurring naturally in the ocean and nature already has mechanisms to deal with this. Everyone acts like nature is a house of cards but it is far more resilient than we give credit for.
I don't know about the original poster, but I'm not a business user. I'm active in several internet communities and provide my resources and knowledge to benefit the community at no charge. While I'm not paid people do donate hardware that I can setup at home to provide the services. An old dell P4 2.4 wouldn't exactly be useful in a corporate data center but with a good connection it works great at home.
Examples
Dynamic forum signature images (very high CPU utilization makes hosting expensive)
Forum hosting (this can be done cheaper/faster offsite so I pay for it)
Game server monitoring and management interfaces. (many game server management systems require Windows GUI applications which are VERY expensive to host)
VPN (I need to give people secure access to services)
Right now my 12Mb/3Mb cable works but not always. Fiber would allow me to provide professional level services for free to a non-commercial community. This kind of capability would have a profound affect on the internet.
I do need 4 9's on my home internet service. My web applications are hosted on shared business servers but there are several apps that require a desktop GUI that must be run at home since it's too expensive to rent entire Windows servers. Better uptime would be great for running websites and services from home. Not to mention the bandwidth advantage of not having to worry that watching a YouTube or NetFlix video will interfere with my hosted services.
Imagine all the internet start-ups that could be done for low cost from home. Innovation would expand dramatically.
80 hour weeks can put 2 years man-hour experience into one year. Perhaps they're looking for IT slaves who work insane overtime for salaried positions (which applies to all to many IT jobs).
I run a mini-ITX with Core 2 Duo Mobile chip and it runs fast, cool, completely silent and still plays HD video flawlessly. Having a large case actually makes it harder to move the air since there's more volume to be moved. The low volume of a mini-ITX case allows it to exchange it's hot air for cool air much faster even with low RPM quiet fans.
There are multiple new agencies being created to enforce these "consumer protections" so they are in effect running it. The IRS will receive 15,000 new employees in a new agency to enforce the rules.
Of course we all know the IRS is very reliable and has a great track record of effective public relations. Just look at the business owner who owed 4 cents and was visited by IRS agents with a bill that was over $200.
However, the real issue here is how it's being paid for. They prez says it doesn't cost us because it will be paid for with future savings. This sounds a lot like what caused the housing bubble when banks said "oh don't worry about this balloon mortgage, your value will go up and you'll make more money later so it will be ok". Getting in over your head in debt with the hope of saving later is a serious issue with any amount of money and especially with billions of dollars and our health on the line.
Slashdot Mirror
Actually your Comcast Motorola DVR can do it, it just isn't programmed into the remote by default. Just google "Comcast 15 second skip" and the first result will provide instructions. I reprogrammed the PiP buttons on the bottom right to go 30s forward and 15s back. Works AWESOME for skipping commercials.
Except that the US patent reform act currently in congress will be shifting to a preference for patents over prior art because it will reduce litigation. Of course this screws all the small startups who don't have the money to patent every little detail of a new product. Google has the money so the MUST patent every mundane detail of every application. This doesn't make Google good or bad, it just costs more money to play the game. Congress is upping the ante at the table so only the big boys can play.
I'm glad someone else read the article and realized how absurd it was. Most people here appear to have just read the title and assumed they knew the content. While the premise may very well be true, vague reverences to philosophy and physics did absolutely nothing to prove the point.
This doesn't go anywhere near as high as congress in most cases and only goes as high as the PMO. You only see your piece of the puzzle when you're fixing applications in the field. Making changes to DOD applications requires massive quantities of input from all affected parties. A fix that may work for you could very well cause problems for someone who uses the software in a slightly different way. If the same software is used on multiple vehicles or weapons systems then you have distinctly different user communities with different needs which much be met. Even the simple changes require acceptance from a wide range of users. Most of this bureaucracy may seem redundant or pointless, but I have seen what happens when a system is not carefully managed and the war fighter is always the one who looses. This is the reason for all of the extra money going to contractors.
This has nothing to do with lobbyists. Software development takes flexibility in hiring. If you start a new project you usually have to hire and lay off according to skill sets so that you have the right programmers for the job. In military and civil service positions this is not possible because of excessive employment protections. Based on your experiences at the DMV or with the IRS, do you really want civil servants developing secure software with lives hanging in the balance?
I didn't expect a clear and sensible response here when the original post spent more time bashing the military than it did proving any kind of supporting evidence. It's true that a system becomes almost unusable for most software when all of the STIGs are applied. However, much of the problem lies with software developers who don't develop on fully STIG compliant systems. They design the software the same way as always, then request any conflicting STIGs be left out and mitigated on the OS side. This is a completely backwards approach to secure software development. Attempting to secure a system AFTER development is a recipe for failure.
When the developers are familiar with STIGs and include them in development from the early planning stages then it is not a problem. However, this is difficult when software development can take years and STIGs are constanty changing. It is also very difficult for contractors to receive any information on planned changes to STIGs so that they may prepare for it. The DOD security branches need to cooperate and be more inclusive with civilian software developers so it becomes easier to develop secure software.
There are also a lot more tools written for the existing temp controllers. I use a Stoker and control it via wireless from a computer using Stoker Log. This automatically graphs the entire cook process, then I add comments and save the info for the next time I cook the same thing. Even more awesome is that it can send Tweets to update the status and I can check on it and change the temperature using my phone while I'm at work or out picking up more beer for the BBQ. When I used to run the smoker overnight on a 14 hour cook I got very restless sleep because I was always worried about the smoker. Now I just leave my TV on in the bedroom and all the temperatures and status are displayed at a glance. Plus it has an audible alarm through the TV so it will wake me up if the fire is dying out or food is done.
Netflix is a great place to get some of the old episodes but they have major gaps in the sub-plots. You can watch some of the "Trial of a Timelord" series but not all of it. They also don't have all of the stories written by Douglas Adams. For a new viewer though, pre-2005 episodes may not be interesting. Most of us enjoy them out of nostalgia even though they can be quite terrible. It's just not the same without the interruptions for the PBS funds drive.
So basically they peed and crapped in their pants and now you want to buy them and probably wear them?
It's good to see some people can see past the exaggerated rhetoric. It's like the video of the bird covered in oil that kept playing on all the news stations. Did you notice it was always the same bird? That's because they couldn't find any more to film. LA, MS, FL beaches have never been cleaner or safer due to the huge crews combing the beaches. There has also been a huge increase in oil eating bacteria. Oil spills have always been occurring naturally in the ocean and nature already has mechanisms to deal with this. Everyone acts like nature is a house of cards but it is far more resilient than we give credit for.
I don't know about the original poster, but I'm not a business user. I'm active in several internet communities and provide my resources and knowledge to benefit the community at no charge. While I'm not paid people do donate hardware that I can setup at home to provide the services. An old dell P4 2.4 wouldn't exactly be useful in a corporate data center but with a good connection it works great at home.
Examples
Dynamic forum signature images (very high CPU utilization makes hosting expensive)
Forum hosting (this can be done cheaper/faster offsite so I pay for it)
Game server monitoring and management interfaces. (many game server management systems require Windows GUI applications which are VERY expensive to host)
VPN (I need to give people secure access to services)
Right now my 12Mb/3Mb cable works but not always. Fiber would allow me to provide professional level services for free to a non-commercial community. This kind of capability would have a profound affect on the internet.
I do need 4 9's on my home internet service. My web applications are hosted on shared business servers but there are several apps that require a desktop GUI that must be run at home since it's too expensive to rent entire Windows servers. Better uptime would be great for running websites and services from home. Not to mention the bandwidth advantage of not having to worry that watching a YouTube or NetFlix video will interfere with my hosted services. Imagine all the internet start-ups that could be done for low cost from home. Innovation would expand dramatically.
80 hour weeks can put 2 years man-hour experience into one year. Perhaps they're looking for IT slaves who work insane overtime for salaried positions (which applies to all to many IT jobs).
That's why I run a mobile processor instead. They are still quite fast but use a tiny heat sink and produce less heat.
I run a mini-ITX with Core 2 Duo Mobile chip and it runs fast, cool, completely silent and still plays HD video flawlessly. Having a large case actually makes it harder to move the air since there's more volume to be moved. The low volume of a mini-ITX case allows it to exchange it's hot air for cool air much faster even with low RPM quiet fans.
There are multiple new agencies being created to enforce these "consumer protections" so they are in effect running it. The IRS will receive 15,000 new employees in a new agency to enforce the rules. Of course we all know the IRS is very reliable and has a great track record of effective public relations. Just look at the business owner who owed 4 cents and was visited by IRS agents with a bill that was over $200. However, the real issue here is how it's being paid for. They prez says it doesn't cost us because it will be paid for with future savings. This sounds a lot like what caused the housing bubble when banks said "oh don't worry about this balloon mortgage, your value will go up and you'll make more money later so it will be ok". Getting in over your head in debt with the hope of saving later is a serious issue with any amount of money and especially with billions of dollars and our health on the line.