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User: gavron

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Comments · 738

  1. MODS ARE DICKS on Uber's Android App Caught Reporting Data Back Without Permission · · Score: 1

    Just check - every thread about "nextweb" and its analysis that this blog is incorrect is modded 0 points.

    This thread is modded 0 points.

    Your note is modded 0 points.

    Apparently "sharing the real facts" and "debunking the hysteria" is modded down.
    Discussions about how Google/Android are bad, permissions aren't granular, uber is bad, uber has a German name so they must be worse still, etc... those are modded 4-5.

    Happy thanksgiving.
    Mods - go meta-mod your "peers". They are out of control.

    E

    E

  2. Re:Now Apple will announce a round monitor on Eizo Debuts Monitor With 1:1 Aspect Ratio · · Score: 0

    They will announce a square monitor with rounded corners.

    Patent and trade dress protection pending, of course.

  3. Military bases have moats on Congress Suggests Moat, Electronic Fence To Protect White House · · Score: 1

    I live in Tucson, Arizona. We have one air-force base and one army national guard base. Both have a moat around them and a fence on both sides of the moat, and a bridge to the inspection station.

    Here's a picture of the bridge over the moat.

    Note the lack of water. Tucson, Arizona. It's a dry heat.

    If it's good enough for military bases, it's good enough for the President. Also Congress. And if they continue to perform so well in representing us, they can be forced to swim it.

    E

  4. More techdirt goodness: Fiber To The Press Release on AT&T To "Pause" Gigabit Internet Rollout Until Net Neutrality Is Settled · · Score: 3, Informative
  5. Re:Darmok on 25th Anniversary: When the Berlin Wall Fell · · Score: 2

    Darmok and Gilad.

    At Tanagra.

  6. Re:Because on Russia Takes Down Steve Jobs Memorial After Apple's Tim Cook Comes Out · · Score: 1

    You have something against half-naked gay horses?

    E

  7. So clearly Android is the best. on Russia Takes Down Steve Jobs Memorial After Apple's Tim Cook Comes Out · · Score: 1

    Res ipsa loquitur.

    Glad we finally put that one to rest.

    Thank you, Russian oligarchs, putocrats, and dictators.

    Now that we've settled that, next up on /.... who's smarter, Hillary Clinton or Martha Bush. Hint: there's no right answer.

    E

  8. Microsoft has done a TREMENDOUS job on Windows 8 and 8.1 Pass 15% Market Share, Windows XP Drops Below 20% Mark · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    Instead of focusing on the problems in Windows (inherently insecure, a spaghetti mess of trying to make things compatible all the way back to single-user Windows3.1, supporting obsolete drivers that don't respect sandboxing, etc.) and therefore being a magnet to malware of all kinds, people are EXCITED by the "new versions" of window dressing (no pun intended) Microsoft keeps bringing to market.

    It's like buying new deck chairs for the Titanic. The color is right. The pillows are fluffy. Who cares if the end result is you drown in a cold dark sea.

  9. Sierra Nevada - - I love their beer! on Sierra Nevada Corp. Files Legal Challenge Against NASA Commercial Contracts · · Score: 1

    I love their beer!

    Really they want to challenge because the government favored Boeing by 1.5B over SpaceX which they favored by 900M over SV?

    It's all fair in a corrupt faux government.

    Cure the "bitcoin replaces fiat currency and that's what makes the yoke of governments work" music.

    E

  10. Enjoy the conference and enjoy the show on Ask Slashdot: Who Should Pay Costs To Attend Conferences? · · Score: 1

    Your description of the work environment sounds great, and it's awesome you recognize and appreciate that. High pay comes with high stress, high responsibility, and worse working conditions. Lower pay comes with less stress, and better working conditions. You have that -- be happy!

    Your employer can't pay for you to go to the conference. That they offered to pay for the training (if you get yourself there) is better than zero! Some would call it half-assed but it's all about that glass with water and how you see it.

    Treat it as a vacation to Las Vegas (one of the cheaper places to visit) and during that vacation... IF YOU SO CHOOSE you can attend a seminar/conference that your employer is willing to pay for. If you don't, it's a vacation.

    Hotels are inexpensive both on and off The Strip. Rental cars are unnecessary but $20/day (seriously). Food is plentiful and cheap so long as you walk through a casino to get to it. Drinks are free while gaming. There are shows all over the place.

    If it was my job and I really wanted to attend this conference I'd book a reasonable hotel (I love Mandalay Bay or MGM or Planet Hollywood) close to the conference, get a flight in on a cheap air carrier (American formerly AmericaWest and SouthWest and JetBlue are three popular options), take a $9 shuttle or $20 cab from the airport, and party my little ass off until conference time. I would get myself tickets to see a show or two while out there.

    Instead of begging for $$$s, ask who wants to come with and make it into a party-atmosphere for a small group. Well worth digging into the credit-card for the once-in-a-decade experience. Have a bachelor's party/bachelorette party atmosphere without the wedding. Skip the limo :)

    Enjoy the trip. Enjoy the show!

    Ehud
    Tucson AZ
    Full disclosure: I go to Vegas about 4 times a year.

  11. Clue #1: Nobody calls it Cyber except Doctor Who on NSA Director Says Agency Is Still Trying To Figure Out Cyber Operations · · Score: 2

    While you're looking for "the cyber threats" you might as well just buy a modern dictionary. Nobody calls anything "cyber" anymore and the number two threat is malware... right behind the number on threat... the NSA.

    Cyber-think your way out of that one, NSAmen. Time is short. The cybermen are coming.

  12. Cut the cable -- See who screams on Mysterious, Phony Cell Towers Found Throughout US · · Score: 1

    Take one out of action. See who responds. It's not that hard.

    Make sure your lawyer is on speeddial.

    E

  13. Slashdot editors on weekends are 3 year olds on Microsoft Shutting Down MSN Messenger After 15 Years of Service · · Score: 1

    Oh I'm sorry.
    Slashdot editor's on weekend's are three year old's.

    It's sad to be illiterate. It's even sadder to be illiterate and not know's it's.

  14. Re:1993 All over again (RFC-1935) on ICANN Offers Fix For Domain Name Collisions · · Score: 1

    The distinction is lost when the trailing period is left off.

    NAME should in some search list match matching TLDNAME if one exists,
    but the ambiguity if NAME exists in NAME.TLD (or, hello, name.GOBSofCCTLDS) let alone
    NAME.subdomains.TLD means it's now a user problem.

    The point of RFC-1535/1536 was to provide predictability in the resolver's traversal of its
    available options. Computers are supposed to be predictable, predictive, and repeatable.

    And yet... some domain resolver lookup yesterday may fail tomorrow because unrelated to
    the domain in which NAME is being resolved, ICANN has alowed NAME. to be registered.

    Ick.

    E

  15. 1993 All over again (RFC-1935) on ICANN Offers Fix For Domain Name Collisions · · Score: 5, Informative

    Thank you, ICANN, for returning to us a problem resolved in 1993.

    See RFC-1535

    Ehud

  16. Re:2x the resolution? on Google's Satellites Could Soon See Your Face From Space · · Score: 1

    No. It isn't. That's why there are two dimensions to it.

    X x Y (see, two dimensions). That's not linear. OP is right. 25cm is 4x the resolution of 50cm.

    E

  17. Still no jurisdiction on FCC Reminds ISPs That They Can Be Fined For Lacking Transparency · · Score: 1

    Lots of posters are asking why ISPs are not getting fined... why the FCC hasn't done anything... and nobody's asked the important question: "What CAN the FCC actually do?"

    This article by CommLaw (really great outfit that analyzes communication, broadband, ISP, VoIP, and carrier law) puts it in great perspective:
    http://www.commlawblog.com/tag...

    The FCC is unable to regulate ISPs since they deregulated them and declared them not to be common carriers. The reason that the FCC won't make ISPs be common carriers is (as has been discussed before countless times) the incumbent carriers DON'T WANT the ISPs to get the privileges (and lower rates) of being carriers... so they lobby hard to prevent anyone else from being carriers.

    That leaves the FCC in the position of putting out these stupide "reminder memos" because they really have no enforcement actions to take. That's why they've done nothing.

    Ehud

  18. Wikimedia SCREWED UP on $10 Million Lawsuit Against Wikipedia Editors "Stragetically" Withdrawn · · Score: 4, Informative

    They should have filed a response. ANY response. That locks the case in and makes it impossible for the complainant to withdraw it without consent.
    Then they could have filed the SLAPP response.

    By delaying (likely to get way too many unnecessary ducks in a row, but that's how lawyers work) they now have lost that opportunity. The complaint will be filed again -- not necessarily in California -- and including elements that can't be dismissed by SLAPP elements.

    What a shame.

    E

  19. DMCA safe harbor irrelevant and hard to get on Rightscorp Pushing ISPs To Disconnect Repeat Infringers · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The real question cleverly ignored by these rights-maximalists is
    "Is the ISP/provider responsible for the content posted by others."
    As we know, absent *ACTUAL INDUCEMENT TO INFRINGE*
    the answer is no. There is no secondary liability to ISPs nor
    reponsibility as per the CDA sec 230.

    Now if the ISPs *ACTUALLY INDUCE* (see Napster and possibly Mega,
    or so USDOJ says), then there is a POSSIBLE liability.
    THAT's the only thing providers need to fear, but instead they knee-jerk
    take down material.

    Note that the DMCA notice is not "DMCA Takedown notice" but rather
    "Notice of ***CLAIMED INFRINGEMENT***" (emphasis mine).

    A "safe harbor" doesn't mean that a LACK OF A SAFE HARBOR means
    instant guilt/civil liability. That is a fact lost on most knee-jerk ISPs.

    ISPs should pull up their big-boy shorts and quit taking it in the pants
    from every email-script that tells them to take down content because DMCA.

    E
    my script verifies that this is true under oath and here's my script-copied
    pgp signature because dmca.

  20. FREE app that doesn't exist MAY HAVE less features on Apple Kills Aperture, Says New Photos App Will Replace It · · Score: 1

    So a FREE app (#1) for a small subset of people will soon be replaced by another FREE app (#2) for a small subset of people and the author thinks that #2 will have less features than #`1 but of course it will only affect a small subset of people.

    Well tea in China may get expensive next year too.

    Don't be beholden to one company, be it Apple, ChinaTeaCo, or anyone. Then you don't have to whine when one app you didn't pay a dollar for FREE app (#1 or #2) you don't feel like wadding up tissues and crying. Man up. Or woman up. Either way quit whining.

    Free market. Haven't heard about it? That's where you can go buy things not made by Apple. Then you're not beholden to their stupid movements, bowel or market.

    E

  21. Re:RTFA on Wikipedia Editors Hit With $10 Million Defamation Suit · · Score: 2, Informative

    ...don't get convicted for it...

    If you read the original article... the daily dot says "Collins and Barry were acquitted in 2005, the AP added."
    If you read the AP article the headline "Former Prisons Chief, Viapro Exec Acquitted" gives you a clue that
    the content includes "A federal judge acquitted a former Texas prisons chief and a Canadian businessman..."

    Acquitted is LIKE convicted only just the exact opposite.

    E

  22. The FAA lacks jurisdiction on FAA Bans Delivering Packages With Drones · · Score: 4, Interesting

    This has been debated before but here's the recap.

    An administrative judge ruled in 2013 that the FAA does not have the authority (in other words it has not been given this authority by Congress) to regulate model aircraft including balsa-wood planes, paper-airplanes, radio-controlled (r/c) planes, helicopters, quadcopters, hexacopters, etc. This is established fact. The FAA elected NOT to appeal this.

    The FAA has attempted to levy _one_ fine against someone flying a 'drone' (see above for disambiguation with quadcopters, hexacopters, etc. and realize it's the same thing) and THAT was the time the administrative law judge shot them down and hard.

    The FAA can write whatever they like in the Federal Register.
    Step 1: Get Congress to give them the authority. Until then the FAA lacks jurisdiction*.
    Step 2: Get Congress to fund enforcement actions under this authority. Until then the FAA won't [be allowed to] enforce anything.
    Step 3: Profit.

    Ehud
    commercial helicopter pilot
    Tucson AZ US

    * A previous poster said that "if you can put a piece of paper between it and the ground the FAA has jurisdiction." This is not true. The FAA's jurisdiction comes not from simplistic experiments with tree bark pulp and thin slots, but from the Code of Federal Regulations. It's all in there. Too boring to quote tho.

  23. "more profitable" doesn't mean "making a profit" on BlackBerry Back In Profit · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The slashdot headline says "..Back in Profit." Unfortunately not so.

    The original article is informative. Under Chen's leadership Blackberry has
    increased their profitability so they are no longer losing so much money.

    They are, however, NOT PROFITABLE. Their loss prior to some accounting
    tricks (that will make the number worse) is $0.11/shr. That means an
    investor holding 1000 shares just lost $110 (if he/she sold them).

    While profitability as a measure of how well a company performs is good,
    and acknowledging that LOSING MILLIONS is a lot better than LOSING
    HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS (see e.g. Radio Shack)... Blackberry has a
    long long way to go.

    The article ends with the two avenues Blackberry is pursuing: hardware and
    software (how inventive, right?)
    - Hardware: they're going to try and create Internet enabled gadgets. As
    Blackberry's core hardware competence has always been its bundled
    business services this is a big departure. They fight uphill against
    Samsung watches, Apple gizmos, Google's Nest, etc.
    - Sofware: They bought the right to allow their product to access the
    Amazon Play Store (android apps from Amazon only). The win here
    is they prove their product REALLY CAN run android apps. The lose
    is that instead of opening it up to the Google Play store (most
    android apps) they've allowed a limited (by Amazon) subset of apps,
    and most designed to siphon extra $$$ and hand them off to Amazon.
    This is something we can expect to see Amazon touting as a win in
    it's 10Q.

    I wish them well. I was surprised by the headline. BlackBerry is
    doing well to reduce loss, and less loss is higher profitability, but
    they're still chewing threw their cash and unless they stem and
    correct that they will be gone.

    E

  24. Curious definition of "Profit" on BlackBerry Back In Profit · · Score: 1

    The slashdot headline says "..Back in Profit." Unfortunately not so.

    The original article is informative. Under Chen's leadership Blackberry has
    increased their profitability so they are no longer losing so much money.

    They are, however, NOT PROFITABLE. Their loss prior to some accounting
    tricks (that will make the number worse) is $0.11/shr. That means an
    investor holding 1000 shares just lost $110 (if he/she sold them).

    While profitability as a measure of how well a company performs is good,
    and acknowledging that LOSING MILLIONS is a lot better than LOSING
    HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS (see e.g. Radio Shack)... Blackberry has a
    long long way to go.

    The article ends with the two avenues Blackberry is pursuing: hardware and
    software (how inventive, right?)
    - Hardware: they're going to try and create Internet enabled gadgets. As
    Blackberry's core hardware competence has always been its bundled
    business services this is a big departure. They fight uphill against
    Samsung watches, Apple gizmos, Google's Nest, etc.
    - Sofware: They bought the right to allow their product to access the
    Amazon Play Store (android apps from Amazon only). The win here
    is they prove their product REALLY CAN run android apps. The lose
    is that instead of opening it up to the Google Play store (most
    android apps) they've allowed a limited (by Amazon) subset of apps,
    and most designed to siphon extra $$$ and hand them off to Amazon.
    This is something we can expect to see Amazon touting as a win in
    it's 10Q.

    I wish them well. I was surprised by the headline. BlackBerry is
    doing well to reduce loss, and less loss is higher profitability, but
    they're still chewing threw their cash and unless they stem and
    correct that they will be gone.

    E

  25. Re:Not true on Cable Boxes Are the 2nd Biggest Energy Users In Many Homes · · Score: 1

    > not running continuously.

    No, I mentioned the AC only runs 20 hours out of the day. That's how it is in Arizona.
    Daytime high of 110F. Nighttime low of 78F. We like the bedroom around 72F, so
    yes, it runs except when nobody's home but then it has a bit of catchup to do.

    The fridge does not run continously, but it faces the same battle. All the heat it puts
    out causes the AC to run more. So there's no magic way for the fridge not to run.

    My sample size is indeed one and is of no statistical significance. I urged everyone
    to get a power meter and join in. Did you?

    E