HAHAHA. You don't understand the difference between statutory regulations and criminal law. Go look up the difference between the two and come back and have an informed discussion. What are you 7 years old? -- insults are not necessary. Just become informed of how law works and then we can talk. Here is a hint. Who is the plaintiff in both, what is the burden of proof in both. Who is the injured party in both? How and why? Who brings action against the accused? I never said that when someone is being mugged, you should look away. This is about statutory infractions, not about crime. Understand the difference and we can talk.
I think you just proved my point with Snowden. Governments have too much control over people as it is; we don't need to give them more. I think we agree on that. Governments only have control when we want them to. My ancestors and state fought long and hard to throw off an oppressive government and take up the mantle of sovereignty ourselves.
I come from a neighborhood where people mind their own business, because it is their own. I like my privacy and to be left alone. My neighbors like the same thing. We all agree on that. I don't stick my nose in someone else's affairs because I don't want them sticking their nose in mine.
Tattling to the police is like running and crying to Mom. The last bastion of those who can't handle that other people do things they don't like and want to punish them with the highest power they can.
Just because you don't like stereotypes doesn't mean they aren't true and the little old Italian wash woman sticking her nose in other people's business is very well known around me. Italians, on a whole, like to butt into other people's business. It is their entertainment. I know, I have four, off the boat, still Italian citizen, resident aliens in my family. They are great people, but they love gossip and getting into other people's affairs.
Snitches. Hahaha. I wonder who vists @TrafficNaRcAntony when someone, umm, _Influential_ gets a parking ticket for a tweet sent by someone obviously standing in front of the "questionably" parked car long enough to send a good, focused picture.
We all know where snitches end up...
On a side note, wow, gotta love socialism. The state is more important than the individual to the point that the state out-sources their enforcement to the citizens. And the citizens do it! Gotta love the collectivism mindset. Tattle to mother government when they see something wrong, then codify the process through twitter.
all get together and sit Shuttleworth in a room with Linus and lock the door for an hour after Linus has been forced to use Unity for a week? That would probably solve the problem. After what they did with Unity and then with the passing search terms out to the internet, I can't recommend Ubuntu, but through Ubuntu and MATE. They really screwed the pooch on that. They had the best chance at corporate desktop standardization but really lost it with forcing Unity on people. And yes, I have used it. It bites.
It will be discussed over and over, but this man did what countless generations before him dreamed about. We can never truly quantify the amount of change that has occurred because of his stepping on a celestial body. May he rest in peace and look back with pride on what has been accomplished because of what he was willing to dare. Remember, there is no tow service once you pass the ionosphere. There was no way to get back if they landed safely and had a problem. NASA delayed the video feed so that if something went wrong, it wasn't broadcast live on TV. They would just say that signal had been lost. He ignored these risks and put his life on the line.
Mr. Armstrong, From all your fellow Eagle Scouts; Thank you.
Honestly. Look at the agreement between you and them. You are providing eyeballs for a product. When they believe they can track you beyond your eyeballs, there is an issue. You don't HAVE to look at billboards as you drive by them. Why do they think they can throw a GPS tracking device on your car as you drive by? All business transactions are based on equal standing. Especially contract law. You need to be on equal footing for contracts to be honored. That is why some jurisdictions don't see Shrink Wrap EULAs as valid and enforceable. You have no equal footing with something that you already purchased and cannot return, since the package was opened.
When the equation is equal again, you can walk back and deal as an equal, until it is an equal equation, the only way to win is to not play.
Kobayashi Maru
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb deciding what is for dinner.
If it only hit Missouri, it would still be called a US Tour. It happens all the time. There are 50 of us, not counting protectorates. I don't know of ONE single US tour that hit all 50 States. Come on. It NOT being called a US Tour is silly and just not standard. So, the only way for it to be called a "US Tour" would be to hit all 50 States? It is still the US Tour, as soon as it hits any State in our Union.
Our states are larger than many of your European countries. Many times, tours will have region events because we are just too big. Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, West Coast, etc... They don't EVER hit all the States.
I hope you take your sovereignty. Because fundamentally, it is yours and not someone else's to give. Every human is granted by God to be free and independent and not ruled by another. I hope everyone finally sees that. The world would be a better place. Next time I see the vote coming up is 2014 though, and sentiments can change over time. I hope you finally take your right to govern yourselves. Good luck.
Ehh... Stop your whining, They are technically correct. Any time they are in England, they are officially in the UK. If I live in a state in the US and they don't tour my state, I don't get pissy that they didn't hit ALL of the United States. You can always solve that by taking your sovereignty. We did it. Seemed to work well for us. Become sovereign, see the world, get some respect. You may even be able to do it without killing anyone. That would be better than when we chose to do it. Other than that, quit complaining, they are technically correct, whether you like it or not. They are a company operating under a sovereign and they need to show it ALL DUE RESPECT; not just what makes you happy. The Queen is still your ruler, and hence theirs as well. They have no choice but to refer to it as the Queen's government wants it to be referred to as. Don't like it, sorry, the only option is to take your sovereignty. Get that and then you get a chance to bitch; but only if the new government you set up for yourself lets you have that right.
One Plus to the WD is the lack of a UID needed to log in and use the device. The only login needed was netflix. No double log in just to watch netflix.
It seems as if for years, you have been using the BanHammer of the Government to force others to comply with your agenda of increased control and profits. Now, that you have gotten what you asked for, why are you unhappy? The environmentalists are getting their agenda pushed by the government, just like yours. Why on Earth would you be surprised. Ohh that's right, you artsy types haven't heard of the law of unintended consequences. Congratulations, welcome to the club of people who realize Government interference in everything isn't a good thing. I hope you enjoy getting what you asked for.
I happened to use the same ID/PW on both my PSN and my LOTRO account. Three months ago, someone had the ID to the LOTRO account and sold all my stuff. Long story short, Sony has NO F'ING CLUE how long they were being exploited. I never logged in anywhere other than personal machines to LOTRO, so there is NO WAY it could have been stolen from anywhere else. They were broken into over three months ago and they never knew it. They only just found out because some silly kid who had access decided to put a file on their servers that they FINALLY SAW. This honestly is pathetic. I have no faith in Sony anymore. They lost me and everyone I advise in a technical capacity. They will never know how many people that is, but I will. Standard response now is. Go with Xbox for games, Western Digital streaming device for Netflix, and a stand alone blue ray player if needed. At least Microsoft knows it is a target and has some semblance of a clue for NOT putting all of their proverbial eggs in one basket. I don't even know how to express the anger that I have for something that I thought would be safe and turned out to have them just having completely no clue on. For a major corporation, this is pathetic. There is no going back from this. Everyone in my family and everyone who I consult at work and personally will be told what happened and how long it has happened. I have already had people say "I thought Sony was a good company." Well, they weren't. To them, this is PR, to me, this is my personal information and my time spent in a game. Wasted, because of their hubris. Thanks Sony. You just lost me, my family and everyone whose ear I can bend. You won't care, but I do.
And I thought this list would give me something new to play. I have them all. They missed Blood, Blood 2 the Chosen, missed Mutant League Football/Hockey, Night Trap, Splatterhouse 1-3, Loaded, BloodStorm, Way of the Warrior and Kasumi Ninja. I was hoping for a holiday buying guide, but no, just a silly 7 game list. Heck, my list included more and I am half an idiot. Not only did they miss all of the above, they missed the most violet, PETA protested game of all. Pokemon. Come on, how can you NOT consider keeping animals in tiny cages rattling around in a backpack violent. Peta even says cat carriers are inhumane, Pokeballs must be like Poke-Gulags.
"But don't be reading my mind (eye webcam) between four and five. That's Willy's time!" --Willy (Simpsons)
Without a way to selectively shut it off, (no, keeping your eye closed for long periods of time is not an option, it actually get tiring) it would be very inconvenient. Think about when he pays his bills, checks his bank statement, purchases his cocaine, etc... Sure this version is low res, but what about when the resolution gets better? Should he tattoo a warning on his forehead? "This encounter is being recorded for internet entertainment purposes." He can't walk into any government building or concert where photography is prohibited. Interesting, many hospitals technically forbid photography as well, for privacy purposes. Would he have to disclose this or just be really careful where he goes?
I would like to find out how inconvenient this would become to real life.
Contact a local Licensed Land Surveyor. We are in the business of coordinating maps and making sure they are properly referenced. We also know the difference between NAD83 and NGVD29. This and the other coordinate system conversions and the proper use of scale factor in SPCS (State Plane Coordinate Systems) is something we do every day. Plus, most of us are really into local history and could possibly show you some other really neat uses for that data. Historic societies are always looking for ways to map past events. When speaking with a Surveyor, we can usually know what the practice for a given time period was. There are three different lengths for a foot that I have come across working. International Foot (not used in surveying, but sometimes engineers use the wrong foot), US Survey Foot (standard) and the Philly Foot. Philadelphia has a different set of standards for how a long a foot is, depending on what part of the city you are in and what you are trying to do. This is not something most historians would accurately pick up. Surveyors will. We also know who was the good and not so studious Surveyors in the area and what tricks each used to mark corners, turning points and reference markers. A local Surveyor in the area the map is of would be very interested in helping you with your work. He/she may have already done the heavy lifting for you. We have to trace maps back as far as possible, so sometimes (I am in New Jersey) we have to go all the way back to the Proprietors to get maps so that we can run lines that control our current work.
Long story short, if it deals with cartography or local surveying, seek a professional Surveyor.
You obviously have never heard of productivity. The more your people have it, the less it costs you to get work done, the faster you can get work out and the more you can bill. We work on T&M, we make sure our people can produce as much as possible to leave as much buffer room in to check work and then take on more. A worker waiting costs me more than any hardware it would take to fix the situation.
Centralizing using a NAS box as a file server wouldn't cost much more than your monthly budget for burnt coffee. Plan for success, work the plan, let the plan work for you and then succeed because of the plan. Sounds like you can't budget. This is a business we are talking about, not a home "design studio", right?
His solution would not cost more than a couple thousand at most. If the owner's son is still "doing work" then they are probably not big enough to be an medium business. This means their storage needs are pretty light, hence cheap.
You missed the part where he said "design studio" and "OS X." Also, since he is posting to/. for the answer, the idea of knowing what he _should_ be doing in an IT role is a stretch. I don't know why any office with more than 1 computer wouldn't have a file server, but hey, don't even ask him when his last off-site backup was, he may cry.
Category - US Jobs - Offshore jobs Salary - High - Low Taxes - High - Low
Total - High - Low -- After new taxes:
Category - US Jobs - Offshore jobs Salary - High - Low Taxes - High - High -- Total - High - Higher (but still not as high as the US column, still competitive)
Sorry,
Off-shoring is still cheaper, therefore it will still be done. Now, the heads of the departments which do the off-shoring to save money will be moved over-seas and the local company will be spun off into it's own entity and the contract will be between two separate companies rather than one manager here and the workers elsewhere. The only thing that changes will be that high paying manager position will be moved offshore because it will be more cost effective both in the taxes and salary department. Good luck with that...
You forget, the innerwebs make moving information (value) very easy between separate companies in a myriad of countries.
Businesses _will_ find the lowest cost solution, you will not stop that short of nationalizing them. Barring that::cough, Fannie, Freddy, cough:: You will just throw valuable, knowledge worker jobs to other countries because the salary will still be cheaper. If you want to build up other countries economies, great, but is that really what you want to do?
Is the Apple silo so vaulted for the iphone? Isn't this what the Android model can help avoid? Sure, you won't get the program in the marketplace, but you sure can host it in another country where the C&D doesn't mean much and keep on innovating. Umm... Unless Blizzard forgot, these are people who are making free publicity and advertising for their pay application. Wouldn't you want to "integrate" the app into someone's life to ensure that when the time comes to cut the budget in the household, that is one of the last things to be cut? I would figure a better way to do it would be to say "listen, thanks for the free pub... We want it to look a little more like things, OK?" Do that, you get good will AND you get a more readily integrated subscriber who is less reticent about removing the Blizzard line item from his/her budget.
Actually, Yes, that would be forbidden in, what I will call a "Secure" facility. HP actually makes a set of computers where the USB ports, and any other IO port are physically disabled. The USB does not show up in the OS because it doesn't exist. Those units also don't have CD-R or DVD-R (of course no floppy as well) and the Video cable is hooked up to a tamper-resistant device. If the OS finds the video has been removed, it locks the workstation and notifies the correct personnel. These are systems where you do NOT play around. So yes, to answer your question, it would be forbidden because the USB port is functioning.
You say this as if there is no one as smart as the blogger employed at IBM... I think they know all of Sun's mistakes already. Sun is the only one who doesn't yet... http://www.save-solaris.org/schwartz-2006-08-18.html
Slashdot Mirror
HAHAHA. You don't understand the difference between statutory regulations and criminal law. Go look up the difference between the two and come back and have an informed discussion. What are you 7 years old? -- insults are not necessary. Just become informed of how law works and then we can talk. Here is a hint. Who is the plaintiff in both, what is the burden of proof in both. Who is the injured party in both? How and why? Who brings action against the accused? I never said that when someone is being mugged, you should look away. This is about statutory infractions, not about crime. Understand the difference and we can talk.
I think you just proved my point with Snowden. Governments have too much control over people as it is; we don't need to give them more. I think we agree on that. Governments only have control when we want them to. My ancestors and state fought long and hard to throw off an oppressive government and take up the mantle of sovereignty ourselves.
I come from a neighborhood where people mind their own business, because it is their own. I like my privacy and to be left alone. My neighbors like the same thing. We all agree on that. I don't stick my nose in someone else's affairs because I don't want them sticking their nose in mine.
Tattling to the police is like running and crying to Mom. The last bastion of those who can't handle that other people do things they don't like and want to punish them with the highest power they can.
Just because you don't like stereotypes doesn't mean they aren't true and the little old Italian wash woman sticking her nose in other people's business is very well known around me. Italians, on a whole, like to butt into other people's business. It is their entertainment. I know, I have four, off the boat, still Italian citizen, resident aliens in my family. They are great people, but they love gossip and getting into other people's affairs.
Snitches. Hahaha. I wonder who vists @TrafficNaRcAntony when someone, umm, _Influential_ gets a parking ticket for a tweet sent by someone obviously standing in front of the "questionably" parked car long enough to send a good, focused picture.
We all know where snitches end up...
On a side note, wow, gotta love socialism. The state is more important than the individual to the point that the state out-sources their enforcement to the citizens. And the citizens do it! Gotta love the collectivism mindset. Tattle to mother government when they see something wrong, then codify the process through twitter.
You don't combat magazine capacity (ab)use by prohibition, you use education.
And anyway the side effect of prohibition will do far more harm to society then any magazine can.
There, I assume we agree now...
all get together and sit Shuttleworth in a room with Linus and lock the door for an hour after Linus has been forced to use Unity for a week? That would probably solve the problem. After what they did with Unity and then with the passing search terms out to the internet, I can't recommend Ubuntu, but through Ubuntu and MATE. They really screwed the pooch on that. They had the best chance at corporate desktop standardization but really lost it with forcing Unity on people. And yes, I have used it. It bites.
It will be discussed over and over, but this man did what countless generations before him dreamed about. We can never truly quantify the amount of change that has occurred because of his stepping on a celestial body. May he rest in peace and look back with pride on what has been accomplished because of what he was willing to dare. Remember, there is no tow service once you pass the ionosphere. There was no way to get back if they landed safely and had a problem. NASA delayed the video feed so that if something went wrong, it wasn't broadcast live on TV. They would just say that signal had been lost. He ignored these risks and put his life on the line.
Mr. Armstrong,
From all your fellow Eagle Scouts; Thank you.
Honestly. Look at the agreement between you and them. You are providing eyeballs for a product. When they believe they can track you beyond your eyeballs, there is an issue. You don't HAVE to look at billboards as you drive by them. Why do they think they can throw a GPS tracking device on your car as you drive by? All business transactions are based on equal standing. Especially contract law. You need to be on equal footing for contracts to be honored. That is why some jurisdictions don't see Shrink Wrap EULAs as valid and enforceable. You have no equal footing with something that you already purchased and cannot return, since the package was opened.
When the equation is equal again, you can walk back and deal as an equal, until it is an equal equation, the only way to win is to not play.
Kobayashi Maru
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb deciding what is for dinner.
Liberty is a well-armed lamb.
AdBlock Plus just give us lambs better arms.
It is Amiga compatible for those who don't know.
If it only hit Missouri, it would still be called a US Tour. It happens all the time. There are 50 of us, not counting protectorates. I don't know of ONE single US tour that hit all 50 States. Come on. It NOT being called a US Tour is silly and just not standard. So, the only way for it to be called a "US Tour" would be to hit all 50 States? It is still the US Tour, as soon as it hits any State in our Union.
Our states are larger than many of your European countries. Many times, tours will have region events because we are just too big. Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, West Coast, etc... They don't EVER hit all the States.
I hope you take your sovereignty. Because fundamentally, it is yours and not someone else's to give. Every human is granted by God to be free and independent and not ruled by another. I hope everyone finally sees that. The world would be a better place. Next time I see the vote coming up is 2014 though, and sentiments can change over time. I hope you finally take your right to govern yourselves. Good luck.
Ehh... Stop your whining, They are technically correct. Any time they are in England, they are officially in the UK. If I live in a state in the US and they don't tour my state, I don't get pissy that they didn't hit ALL of the United States. You can always solve that by taking your sovereignty. We did it. Seemed to work well for us. Become sovereign, see the world, get some respect. You may even be able to do it without killing anyone. That would be better than when we chose to do it. Other than that, quit complaining, they are technically correct, whether you like it or not. They are a company operating under a sovereign and they need to show it ALL DUE RESPECT; not just what makes you happy. The Queen is still your ruler, and hence theirs as well. They have no choice but to refer to it as the Queen's government wants it to be referred to as. Don't like it, sorry, the only option is to take your sovereignty. Get that and then you get a chance to bitch; but only if the new government you set up for yourself lets you have that right.
One Plus to the WD is the lack of a UID needed to log in and use the device. The only login needed was netflix. No double log in just to watch netflix.
Freedom is two wolves and a sheep deciding what is for dinner.
Liberty is a well armed sheep.
If you don't exist, can you really embody the spirit of freedom?
It seems as if for years, you have been using the BanHammer of the Government to force others to comply with your agenda of increased control and profits. Now, that you have gotten what you asked for, why are you unhappy? The environmentalists are getting their agenda pushed by the government, just like yours. Why on Earth would you be surprised. Ohh that's right, you artsy types haven't heard of the law of unintended consequences. Congratulations, welcome to the club of people who realize Government interference in everything isn't a good thing. I hope you enjoy getting what you asked for.
Sincerely,
Everyone else.
I happened to use the same ID/PW on both my PSN and my LOTRO account. Three months ago, someone had the ID to the LOTRO account and sold all my stuff. Long story short, Sony has NO F'ING CLUE how long they were being exploited. I never logged in anywhere other than personal machines to LOTRO, so there is NO WAY it could have been stolen from anywhere else. They were broken into over three months ago and they never knew it. They only just found out because some silly kid who had access decided to put a file on their servers that they FINALLY SAW. This honestly is pathetic. I have no faith in Sony anymore. They lost me and everyone I advise in a technical capacity. They will never know how many people that is, but I will. Standard response now is. Go with Xbox for games, Western Digital streaming device for Netflix, and a stand alone blue ray player if needed. At least Microsoft knows it is a target and has some semblance of a clue for NOT putting all of their proverbial eggs in one basket. I don't even know how to express the anger that I have for something that I thought would be safe and turned out to have them just having completely no clue on. For a major corporation, this is pathetic. There is no going back from this. Everyone in my family and everyone who I consult at work and personally will be told what happened and how long it has happened. I have already had people say "I thought Sony was a good company." Well, they weren't. To them, this is PR, to me, this is my personal information and my time spent in a game. Wasted, because of their hubris. Thanks Sony. You just lost me, my family and everyone whose ear I can bend. You won't care, but I do.
And I even forgot Time-Killers.
And I thought this list would give me something new to play. I have them all. They missed Blood, Blood 2 the Chosen, missed Mutant League Football/Hockey, Night Trap, Splatterhouse 1-3, Loaded, BloodStorm, Way of the Warrior and Kasumi Ninja. I was hoping for a holiday buying guide, but no, just a silly 7 game list. Heck, my list included more and I am half an idiot. Not only did they miss all of the above, they missed the most violet, PETA protested game of all. Pokemon. Come on, how can you NOT consider keeping animals in tiny cages rattling around in a backpack violent. Peta even says cat carriers are inhumane, Pokeballs must be like Poke-Gulags.
"But don't be reading my mind (eye webcam) between four and five. That's Willy's time!" --Willy (Simpsons)
Without a way to selectively shut it off, (no, keeping your eye closed for long periods of time is not an option, it actually get tiring) it would be very inconvenient. Think about when he pays his bills, checks his bank statement, purchases his cocaine, etc... Sure this version is low res, but what about when the resolution gets better? Should he tattoo a warning on his forehead? "This encounter is being recorded for internet entertainment purposes." He can't walk into any government building or concert where photography is prohibited. Interesting, many hospitals technically forbid photography as well, for privacy purposes. Would he have to disclose this or just be really careful where he goes?
I would like to find out how inconvenient this would become to real life.
Contact a local Licensed Land Surveyor. We are in the business of coordinating maps and making sure they are properly referenced. We also know the difference between NAD83 and NGVD29. This and the other coordinate system conversions and the proper use of scale factor in SPCS (State Plane Coordinate Systems) is something we do every day. Plus, most of us are really into local history and could possibly show you some other really neat uses for that data. Historic societies are always looking for ways to map past events. When speaking with a Surveyor, we can usually know what the practice for a given time period was. There are three different lengths for a foot that I have come across working. International Foot (not used in surveying, but sometimes engineers use the wrong foot), US Survey Foot (standard) and the Philly Foot. Philadelphia has a different set of standards for how a long a foot is, depending on what part of the city you are in and what you are trying to do. This is not something most historians would accurately pick up. Surveyors will. We also know who was the good and not so studious Surveyors in the area and what tricks each used to mark corners, turning points and reference markers. A local Surveyor in the area the map is of would be very interested in helping you with your work. He/she may have already done the heavy lifting for you. We have to trace maps back as far as possible, so sometimes (I am in New Jersey) we have to go all the way back to the Proprietors to get maps so that we can run lines that control our current work.
Long story short, if it deals with cartography or local surveying, seek a professional Surveyor.
You obviously have never heard of productivity. The more your people have it, the less it costs you to get work done, the faster you can get work out and the more you can bill. We work on T&M, we make sure our people can produce as much as possible to leave as much buffer room in to check work and then take on more. A worker waiting costs me more than any hardware it would take to fix the situation.
Centralizing using a NAS box as a file server wouldn't cost much more than your monthly budget for burnt coffee. Plan for success, work the plan, let the plan work for you and then succeed because of the plan. Sounds like you can't budget. This is a business we are talking about, not a home "design studio", right?
His solution would not cost more than a couple thousand at most. If the owner's son is still "doing work" then they are probably not big enough to be an medium business. This means their storage needs are pretty light, hence cheap.
You missed the part where he said "design studio" and "OS X." Also, since he is posting to /. for the answer, the idea of knowing what he _should_ be doing in an IT role is a stretch. I don't know why any office with more than 1 computer wouldn't have a file server, but hey, don't even ask him when his last off-site backup was, he may cry.
You can always pull a best buy on them. Especially great when you have freaks as friends.
Before:
Category - US Jobs - Offshore jobs
Salary - High - Low
Taxes - High - Low
Total - High - Low
--
After new taxes:
Category - US Jobs - Offshore jobs
Salary - High - Low
Taxes - High - High
--
Total - High - Higher (but still not as high as the US column, still competitive)
Sorry,
Off-shoring is still cheaper, therefore it will still be done. Now, the heads of the departments which do the off-shoring to save money will be moved over-seas and the local company will be spun off into it's own entity and the contract will be between two separate companies rather than one manager here and the workers elsewhere. The only thing that changes will be that high paying manager position will be moved offshore because it will be more cost effective both in the taxes and salary department. Good luck with that...
You forget, the innerwebs make moving information (value) very easy between separate companies in a myriad of countries.
Businesses _will_ find the lowest cost solution, you will not stop that short of nationalizing them. Barring that ::cough, Fannie, Freddy, cough:: You will just throw valuable, knowledge worker jobs to other countries because the salary will still be cheaper. If you want to build up other countries economies, great, but is that really what you want to do?
Is the Apple silo so vaulted for the iphone? Isn't this what the Android model can help avoid? Sure, you won't get the program in the marketplace, but you sure can host it in another country where the C&D doesn't mean much and keep on innovating. Umm... Unless Blizzard forgot, these are people who are making free publicity and advertising for their pay application. Wouldn't you want to "integrate" the app into someone's life to ensure that when the time comes to cut the budget in the household, that is one of the last things to be cut? I would figure a better way to do it would be to say "listen, thanks for the free pub... We want it to look a little more like things, OK?" Do that, you get good will AND you get a more readily integrated subscriber who is less reticent about removing the Blizzard line item from his/her budget.
Actually, Yes, that would be forbidden in, what I will call a "Secure" facility. HP actually makes a set of computers where the USB ports, and any other IO port are physically disabled. The USB does not show up in the OS because it doesn't exist. Those units also don't have CD-R or DVD-R (of course no floppy as well) and the Video cable is hooked up to a tamper-resistant device. If the OS finds the video has been removed, it locks the workstation and notifies the correct personnel. These are systems where you do NOT play around. So yes, to answer your question, it would be forbidden because the USB port is functioning.
You say this as if there is no one as smart as the blogger employed at IBM... I think they know all of Sun's mistakes already. Sun is the only one who doesn't yet...
http://www.save-solaris.org/schwartz-2006-08-18.html