hmmmm.
its a little more involved than that. I use a mac here and had instant accessibility from the OS without having to spend an$1,000 (hello freedom scientific!). In fact, any devices for the disabled (no matter the disability) can cost anywhere from 4 to 100 times what the standard consumer electronic equivalent can (like a $400.00 microwave that talks when the same unit that doesn't costs less than $80 at your local wal*mart). That $200.00 PDA can cost the blind person about $1,200 with the modifications made to a standard PDA (about $20.00 in parts and a few changes in the onboard software).
The above is primarily why the disabled are seeing benefits (even if unintended) from devices like the iPad and other display devices (at substantially lower costs). The above is also why most state governments go broke trying to help their disabled clients.
I happen to be blind. I paid just under $1,000 for my mac. what I would have spent on a comparable windows machine? $1,000 for the computer, $250 for the windows OS, $1,000 for the text to speech software (windoweyes or jaws). frankly, my mac is a better deal. now i I can find a braille display that won't cost me a years worth of my fixed income in one shot ($6,000)!.
I agree that GUI's are nice eye candy and can visually organize a space. but... they are not blind friendly.
I still use cli for editing scripts and modifying system settings (including editing configuration files for custom settings). I don't see a lot of this in GUI interfaces (I use orca under gnome and believe me, a lot of options for settings in some system settings are simply not there). in OS X, I have also found that knowing how to modify settings on the CLI is a very powerful skill to have. anyone that thinks the GUI is the only way to go is severely limiting what they can really do.
how many of you can setup a true firewall script in linux using strictly a few guy tools and have it do some really powerful stuff? I know of perhaps 2 apps that might give you something approaching what you can create using VI in a command line. its the same with a lot of other deep level items in Linux (and OS X as well).
even though I am speaking from the P.O.V of a blind person, the same holds true for everyone. having a command line ability to make/modify/create scripts, documents and configuration files is definitely a useful (and powerful) alternative that should not be discounted.
Since dell either doesn't seem to care or has decided not to act (because its cheaper), I have a suggestion. STOP BUYING DELL PRODUCTS! if enough people do this, it will get their attention in a way they can't avoid.
I agree with "too busy" it seems even the poorest of us just don't care if we get ripped for $40.00 or so. I fix a lot of machines in my spare time here in phoenix and it seems no matter how i say it, my clients won't listen and always go back to trying some new thing (like "clean my pc").
Frankly, I am tired of offering advice when no one listens. just take their money, give them back a working machine and await the next call.
The problem here is this: even if its his own property, committing an act of Denial of Service across the network against it still means that you have committed a crime (DDOS requires network resources in between and those services might not be able to handle the load). regardless of actual "right of possession, committing a crime to retrieve stolen goods is still a crime.
Lastly, but certainly not leastly, post the IP address to 4chan. They have more than enough unscrupulous individuals that could find the person for you. If nothing else, they will at least DDOS the IP for you.
That is the last thing you should ever do for a number of reasons. DDOS violates the computer crimes act here in the US (and using an illegal method to regain your property is never a good idea as you will end up in court charged with a crime yourself).
Filing a claim in your local state court is not all that expensive (and with the help of the local free law association, you might actually get it done properly).
One rule to remember when going up the 'food chain" at your University: always be nice. explain your situation in a clear and logical form and request that they help you. if they can't, get referred further up the chain. you will eventually get to someone who can say yes or take action (usually at the university presidents level). also, do follow up with the local police and send a certified letter to the local FBI office asking for help (send a fax and an e-mail as well). If you need to, get the local news media involved (beauracracies don't like negative public exposure). In all these cases, BE NICE! Stick to the point and don't embellish.
The more of a paper trail you can establish, the better your chances of regaining your property expeditiously.
I sent Creative labs a nice missive informing them that their "advertisement" of "vista capable" is false and that they should rectify it.
Considering that I have been a user of their products for more than 15 years, I am rather irritated that they would choose to "deliberately" hobble their product in windows vista.
I had to downgrade back to XP in order for the speech software (text-to-speech) that I use to work properly.
I guess they don't care about the Americans with disabilities act either.
In any case, they are now informed they have a problem. I just hope they don't take the short sighted way out.
Bombs and bullets are cheaper than lawyers. I am honestly surprised that someone threatened by a MAFIAA agency hasn't gone and shot some of their staff or bombed an office. How do you think the war on piracy would change a few pipe bombs were lobbed into an RIAA building? People are having their lives torn apart by a company whose legal tactics do not stand up in court, how unreasonable is it to think they'd seek vengeance? I'm not saying I advocate this course of action. I'm saying it would be interesting to see how the game changes once the people the MAFIAA have in their legal crosshairs start putting MAFIAA employees in rifle crosshairs.
ooooh kay! One really has to be careful here folks. such words as this written above may seem harmless, but you must remember, we are in post 9/11 here and some in the government would look at these words as a terrorist threat!
well, the OP here.
its actually more of a case of the "have's" and "have not's".
I'm one of the haves (in some circles) and I get that way by
keeping my ear to the ground. In the case of the MPAA, I simply
do not buy into their "line of bull" and not buy any of their
products (unless its available USED for $1.00 at a flea market
and comes in original packaging).
why give them all the power and money when I can better dedicate
my resources elsewhere?
well, *if* it goes up (or already has) and we are square on in its sights, this will be the best show we've ever seen, and the last show we'll ever see.
proudhawk raises a toast to all he knows "Salude!"
as a "victim" of the social security administrations "mistakes", I can tell you that even after 13 years, there are still problems.
to this day, I still connot get good credit, nor can I get a loan. getting jobs is very hard (not impossible, but still). try opening a new bank account with a note on your credit report from the SSA stating you are dead. not a chance!
I still get the "I thought you were dead" jokes.
BUT, this is no laughing matter.
oh yeah, the only proof the SSA will accept: valid ID and some other materials. your ID ceases being valid when you are declared dead.
one last point: it may take up to 6 months for the SSA to correct their records. guess that leaves you out in the cold huh?
now try it while being blind..... now that is a real horror story.
All this shows is that Comcast is willing to play dirtier than ever to ensure that their network operates in the manner they deem necessary. Normally I couldn't care less what a private business does with its customers but when they have a permitted monopoly in as many areas as they do, they should be held accountable for the bullshit they have been pulling using pipes that my tax dollars helped fund. if you really want to get the attention of comcast (and others), everyone should buy up as much stock as possible in comcast (and others), assign it to a voting block and force them to do the right thing by the power of voting stock. I know it sounds simplistic, but sometimes, its the simple things that get the job done.
Old histories have probably already noticed this (though I wonder if any have stated it publically).
Microsoft is doing much the same type of war planning that WWII Germany did prior to invading France or co-opting Italy. first they send in spies and influence peddlers, then achieve 'controlling influence' then setup a situation where they can march right in (seemingly to save the day).
After the 'invasion' if the recipient country doesn't see "eye to eye" on cerain matters, they are slapped rather hard (executions, purges, legal actions?).
Same situation here. Microsoft is now in the "join, trojan horse, kill it off" sort of plan.
Microsoft should be best viewed with utter suspicion or (at worst) not trusted at all.
Their business model is, coincidentally, very similar to the same ones being used by "big content" (they very same guys who sue 14 year old kids of disabled mothers for alleged filesharing on non-existant computers).
so, perhaps it is best to nip this one in the bud before it goes too far and we are stuck with no solutions (or rights) at all....
I've been hunting down alternatives to Zap2it for the last month or so (I've been hearing rumors that the new management have some disdane for the Open Source community).
so far, I have found not one website with any similar functionality. I happen to be a MythTV user (and with some help from a good friend, even had it setup and operating when my previous attempts had failed).
The point is this: unless someone can come up with a "reasonable" alternative (even if its a "pay service"), I'd jump on it!
Right now though, I just don't see that happening.
anyone else around here have any clues? I'm fresh out.
well guys, its just as well that i missed it (aborted launch). as for the player problems, it turned out to be a missing codec 9and an improperly configured plugin handler for firefox).
ok, I found this to be rather rude on their part. I don't run a mac and I don't have windows. so how am I to enjoy this feat of modern technology from a LINUX desktop. Apparently I can't (not with these guys anyway).
well, having read all the responses (and finding a few amusing) I have come to this conclusion: 1. spammers aren't involved 2. the squatter in question hopped on the chance to get the
domain so he could "blackmail" the original holders into paying
to get it back.
now, if he was smart, he'd monitor the incomming connections and figure out who was who and sell the list to a spammer for a princely sum...
"fake moon dust"? ok, thats all we need, some ammo for the conspiracy theorists who think we never made it to the moon in the first place. or better yet, shades of "Capricorn One" (A sci-fi suspense movie where it was claimed that NASA and the government staged a mars landing).
Slashdot Mirror
OMG. I always knew the clinton administration was like a circus full of clowns. or perhaps they were keystone cops. who knows?
hmmmm.
its a little more involved than that. I use a mac here and had instant accessibility from the OS without having to spend an$1,000 (hello freedom scientific!). In fact, any devices for the disabled (no matter the disability) can cost anywhere from 4 to 100 times what the standard consumer electronic equivalent can (like a $400.00 microwave that talks when the same unit that doesn't costs less than $80 at your local wal*mart). That $200.00 PDA can cost the blind person about $1,200 with the modifications made to a standard PDA (about $20.00 in parts and a few changes in the onboard software).
The above is primarily why the disabled are seeing benefits (even if unintended) from devices like the iPad and other display devices (at substantially lower costs). The above is also why most state governments go broke trying to help their disabled clients.
I happen to be blind. I paid just under $1,000 for my mac. what I would have spent on a comparable windows machine? $1,000 for the computer, $250 for the windows OS, $1,000 for the text to speech software (windoweyes or jaws). frankly, my mac is a better deal. now i I can find a braille display that won't cost me a years worth of my fixed income in one shot ($6,000)!.
I agree that GUI's are nice eye candy and can visually organize a space. but... they are not blind friendly.
I still use cli for editing scripts and modifying system settings (including editing configuration files for custom settings). I don't see a lot of this in GUI interfaces (I use orca under gnome and believe me, a lot of options for settings in some system settings are simply not there). in OS X, I have also found that knowing how to modify settings on the CLI is a very powerful skill to have. anyone that thinks the GUI is the only way to go is severely limiting what they can really do.
how many of you can setup a true firewall script in linux using strictly a few guy tools and have it do some really powerful stuff? I know of perhaps 2 apps that might give you something approaching what you can create using VI in a command line. its the same with a lot of other deep level items in Linux (and OS X as well).
even though I am speaking from the P.O.V of a blind person, the same holds true for everyone. having a command line ability to make/modify/create scripts, documents and configuration files is definitely a useful (and powerful) alternative that should not be discounted.
Since dell either doesn't seem to care or has decided not to act (because its cheaper), I have a suggestion. STOP BUYING DELL PRODUCTS! if enough people do this, it will get their attention in a way they can't avoid.
I agree with "too busy" it seems even the poorest of us just don't care if we get ripped for $40.00 or so. I fix a lot of machines in my spare time here in phoenix and it seems no matter how i say it, my clients won't listen and always go back to trying some new thing (like "clean my pc").
Frankly, I am tired of offering advice when no one listens. just take their money, give them back a working machine and await the next call.
The problem here is this: even if its his own property, committing an act of Denial of Service across the
network against it still means that you have committed a crime (DDOS requires network resources in between
and those services might not be able to handle the load). regardless of actual "right of possession, committing
a crime to retrieve stolen goods is still a crime.
I forgot about that. yeah, if an insurance carrier can get the item back *cheaper* than buying new,
you bet they'll do what it takes.
Lastly, but certainly not leastly, post the IP address to 4chan. They have more than enough unscrupulous individuals that could find the person for you. If nothing else, they will at least DDOS the IP for you.
That is the last thing you should ever do for a number of reasons. DDOS violates the computer crimes act here in the US (and using an illegal method to regain your property is never a good idea as you will end up in court charged with a crime yourself).
Filing a claim in your local state court is not all that expensive (and with the help of the local free law association, you might actually get it done properly).
One rule to remember when going up the 'food chain" at your University: always be nice. explain your situation in a clear and logical form and request that they help you. if they can't, get referred further up the chain. you will eventually get to someone who can say yes or take action (usually at the university presidents level). also, do follow up with the local police and send a certified letter to the local FBI office asking for help (send a fax and an e-mail as well). If you need to, get the local news media involved (beauracracies don't like negative public exposure). In all these cases, BE NICE! Stick to the point and don't embellish.
The more of a paper trail you can establish, the better your chances of regaining your property expeditiously.
That isn't just a teenager who wants something.
She's willing to STEAL it to have it because she can't (or won't) pay for it.
Talk about a lack of ethics. I wonder if her parents even know about this?
I sent Creative labs a nice missive informing them that their "advertisement" of
"vista capable" is false and that they should rectify it.
Considering that I have been a user of their products for more than 15 years,
I am rather irritated that they would choose to "deliberately" hobble their
product in windows vista.
I had to downgrade back to XP in order for the speech software (text-to-speech)
that I use to work properly.
I guess they don't care about the Americans with disabilities act either.
In any case, they are now informed they have a problem. I just hope they don't take the
short sighted way out.
ooooh kay! One really has to be careful here folks. such words as this written above may seem harmless, but you must remember, we are in post 9/11 here and some in the government would look at these words as a terrorist threat!
the watchword here is "loose lips sink ships".
I didn't have that info when I posted the original article (and I am not sure the MPAA would even give me the real facts is I simply asked either).
I'm one of the haves (in some circles) and I get that way by keeping my ear to the ground. In the case of the MPAA, I simply do not buy into their "line of bull" and not buy any of their products (unless its available USED for $1.00 at a flea market and comes in original packaging).
why give them all the power and money when I can better dedicate my resources elsewhere?
There was a time when the scientific method was the de-facto test
of any theory or proposition.
now we have politicians who ignore that basic principal simply
because they have their own ideas (that may not have any basis in reality)?
is it me, or are we headed toward yet another dark age?
well, *if* it goes up (or already has) and we are square on in its sights,
this will be the best show we've ever seen, and the last show we'll ever see.
proudhawk raises a toast to all he knows "Salude!"
as a "victim" of the social security administrations "mistakes",
I can tell you that even after 13 years, there are still problems.
to this day, I still connot get good credit, nor can I get a loan.
getting jobs is very hard (not impossible, but still).
try opening a new bank account with a note on your credit report
from the SSA stating you are dead. not a chance!
I still get the "I thought you were dead" jokes.
BUT, this is no laughing matter.
oh yeah, the only proof the SSA will accept: valid ID and some other
materials. your ID ceases being valid when you are declared dead.
one last point: it may take up to 6 months for the SSA to correct their records.
guess that leaves you out in the cold huh?
now try it while being blind..... now that is a real horror story.
I have seen this kind of pattern before.
this type of case represents a precedent and may be used by all previous litigants to have their cases appeals.
This begins to look like the beginning of the end for the RIAA.
Old histories have probably already noticed this (though I wonder if any have stated it publically).
Microsoft is doing much the same type of war planning that WWII Germany did prior
to invading France or co-opting Italy. first they send in spies and influence peddlers,
then achieve 'controlling influence' then setup a situation where they can march
right in (seemingly to save the day).
After the 'invasion' if the recipient country doesn't see "eye to eye" on cerain
matters, they are slapped rather hard (executions, purges, legal actions?).
Same situation here. Microsoft is now in the "join, trojan horse, kill it off" sort of plan.
Microsoft should be best viewed with utter suspicion or (at worst) not trusted at all.
Their business model is, coincidentally, very similar to the same ones being
used by "big content" (they very same guys who sue 14 year old kids of disabled mothers for
alleged filesharing on non-existant computers).
so, perhaps it is best to nip this one in the bud before it goes too far
and we are stuck with no solutions (or rights) at all....
*sigh*
I've been hunting down alternatives to Zap2it for the last month or so
(I've been hearing rumors that the new management have some disdane for
the Open Source community).
so far, I have found not one website with any similar functionality.
I happen to be a MythTV user (and with some help from a good friend,
even had it setup and operating when my previous attempts had failed).
The point is this: unless someone can come up with a "reasonable"
alternative (even if its a "pay service"), I'd jump on it!
Right now though, I just don't see that happening.
anyone else around here have any clues? I'm fresh out.
well guys, its just as well that i missed it (aborted launch).
as for the player problems, it turned out to be a missing codec 9and
an improperly configured plugin handler for firefox).
sorry for the OT post.
ok,
I found this to be rather rude on their part. I don't run a mac and I don't have windows.
so how am I to enjoy this feat of modern technology from a LINUX desktop.
Apparently I can't (not with these guys anyway).
I wouldn't be surprised at all that M$ has done this. its been in their "security model" for a better part of the last 5 years or so.
what surprises me is that all the folks who haven't realized this are making such a stink (and its been rather public for some time).
anyway, the assumption here is this:
a little paranoia with regards to windows is a good thing. never assume they aren't "watching".
- TMH
well, having read all the responses (and finding a few amusing)
I have come to this conclusion:
1. spammers aren't involved
2. the squatter in question hopped on the chance to get the
domain so he could "blackmail" the original holders into paying
to get it back.
now, if he was smart, he'd monitor the incomming connections
and figure out who was who and sell the list to a spammer
for a princely sum...
"fake moon dust"? ok, thats all we need, some ammo for the conspiracy theorists who think we never made it to the moon in the first place. or better yet, shades of "Capricorn One" (A sci-fi suspense movie where it was claimed that NASA and the government staged a mars landing).