If you are serious about the Texas thing, I am sure that you can set up a GoFundMe page to collect enough from the potatriots there to finish the purchase and secede from the U.S.
"The glasses are not designed to be worn constantly — although Google expects some of the nerdiest users will wear them a lot — but will be more like smartphones, used when needed.'"
Great, now there will be idiots driving AND wearing these. And at restaurants, theaters, and everywhere else cell phone users abusers currently annoy people.
Instead of having your tech people make sales (which most tech people hate), have the sales people bring the tech into the call so that they can develop a rapport with the customer. Otherwise, your tech people will have to attend sales meetings which will bum them out completely.
Yeah, some good advice. I'm married, and while my wife isn't geeky, the same "rules" apply in all marriages, IMO:
Always communicate.
Never go to bed angry.
Learn to say, "Yes, dear."
Learn to accept the things you don't have in common, rather than just focusing on the things you do have in common.
Remember to always listen, as this is mostly all that is often needed.
Best of luck for your future together! I don't regret getting married for a second.
PS. Also, let her win at things, no matter how good you are. Trust me on this one. Oh, and when you ask her if she's okay and she says, "Nothing's wrong.", give her a hug, because something is definitely wrong!
Add to this:
try to see the other persons side from their point of view even if you don't agree with it - it will lead to better understanding of your partners thought process.
Listen to what they are saying without judgment, without trying to second guess or control them or their thoughts.
Remain calm no matter what - lose your temper and you lose control of your self and your side of the discussion/argument.
Again, remember to listen without interruption - actually hear what your partner is saying without judgement.
Sometimes you have to lose the battle to win the war. Even if you know you are right. Later the truth of the matter will often reveal itself.
It's worked for me and my wife for almost 30 years now. Good luck!
If you have to have a computer, check out the OLPC. It's ruggedized and portable. Plus, it's cheap (relatively). And a portable hard disk drive to store things on.
As an IT tech, I have known users who knew their stuff, maybe 0.5% of the employees of any given company. And I have know techs who did not know their stuff, maybe 60%.
But all in all there are reasons why computers are locked down and there are reasons why IT mandates that "thou shalt not". Too many times there have been licensing issues where a know-it-all user with the ability to install software on their local box has brought in a package from home to install because they could get their work done better/faster/more colorfully with it than they could with the software that the company licensed. And when the project/document/spreadsheet that they created in that software can't be read or modified by any of the licensed software, they instantly become indignant and blame IT for not finding a way to convert their information. Contrary to popular mis-belief, IT does not have experience in EVERY piece of software out there. And when some disgruntled soul left the company they would let the anti-piracy folks know about the illegal installs.
And then there are the ones who download every bit of shareware/freeware/spyware in the known universe to their local box, turning their machine into a zombie or worse.
IT is usually mandated to keep the network running smoothly, virus and spyware free, and within the licensing agreements of the software that they have purchased. To do that they have to lock down the network, the computers and the user rights because the know-it-alls don't care about security, safety or licensing. They just want to run Weatherbug because they are too lazy to check into the WeatherChannel.
And then there are the users who listen to Internet radio (sucking down bandwidth), download illegal music and software (because it's faster than at home), and cruise the porn and game sites. Most users don't remember that the computer, network and internet connection still belong to the company that they work for and the aim of IT is to make sure that everyone can play and work together to the betterment of the company.
Give me a user who will work within the guidelines, request the software that they need to do their job and, at the end of the day, tend to their personal internet needs from their home computers.
That would be nice but the lemmings following Lame-o just want to ignore facts in order to free their hero in tarnished halo.
The other side want to impress upon the Lemmings that it is wrong to steal other peoples property and the Lemmings don't want to hear it. They want a free system, free of laws and penalties it would seem.
So... people try to put the situation into a point of reference that the ditto heads can relate to.
The ditto heads just come back ignoring the property issue saying "but i did it for their own good!" like some kind of good samaritan, ignoring the fact that laws were broken and property was abused/stolen.
nuff said? but you're right. This does get old after a while.
The NYTimes wasn't going to die though. They were being robbed.
Besides, what are the credentials of this "doctor"? Was he studying to be a dentist? a vet? was he a drop out who only did abortions?
Is his "medical opinion" valid? diagnosis correct? Or was he just feeling people up and scaring the hell out of them with his diagnosis?
Here is an analogy - probably more fitting. He walks into YOUR store. He looks around. Other customers are there looking around. He notices that there are no cameras in the store and he doesn't see a burgler alarm. He returns that night after your store is closed, jimmies open the back door and enters your store. He watches the pay-per-view channel on your tv (yeah, you have cable). He goes through your customer list. He orders a pizza on your credit card number to be delivered. Eats the pizza. Leaves before dawn. Tells the news media about the break in. Tells you about the break in. Wants to give you a security system of dubious quality. You have his stoopid ass arrested.
Yeah, I like that analogy better. You pay for the pay-per-view he watched. You pay for the pizza he ate. You have no idea if he retained any of your customer information. And every punk in the neighborhood now knows how easy it was to knock over your store.
So you are saying that Lame-o has been asleep all of these years and missed the media frenzy on this type of action?? He somehow didn't know that if you enter someone's computer system without their permission it's illegal??
If that is the case, he shouldn't go to jail. He should go to a mental institution for being too stupid to breathe!
It appears that you forgot about the parts where the doctor picked your pocket and, before telling you about the tumor, told everyone else on the train.
... but Lame-o didn't do that. He looked in the house and then entered. Then watched cable tv. Then sent off some magazine subscriptions. Then left and told all of your neighbors about it before telling you.
Lexus/Nexus is a subscription system. If you want things printed out, it costs extra. They gather news from may different sources, electronic and printed, put it in a database for easy searching and then charge people. The idea is to make money off of the information that they had to pay people to gather and input.
The problem here is that people who like to break into computer networks don't see the harm in their actions. They view it like a little kid, it's theirs and no one has a right to take it away - it's their game/toy/fantasy.
In the case of Adrian Lame-o, the neeping lemmings put him up on an altar and bow down before his mighty web browser. They cannot see anything else but his brilliance.
They do not see the network as property. They can't comprehend the concept of breaking and entering because the net is free!
But here is the truth of it. The NYTimes paid for the servers, routers, firewalls, wiring, fiber, storage devices. This is property. They collect subscription fees from people who want to use this property. That is their right.
They paid people to collect information, stories, lists and data. This is property. They sell this property. That is their right.
They built a store front to allow people to enter their property and conduct business with them. That is their right.
They have security in this building to prevent people from going beyond the ground floor where normal business is conducted. That is their right.
They have paid for all of this.
Now, along comes Lame-o. He sneaks/walks into the storefront, looks around and notices that one of the security devices is not turned on. Does he notify anyone? No. When no one is looking he makes his way past security and away from the first floor.
(The security people have their hands full with people trying to get past the first floor and their budget is cut, not enough people to patrol, not enough in the budget to repair, new devices for circumventing security coming out everyday. Can't keep up with training.)
Lame-o is now on the second floor. Does he notify security? NO. Is he supposed to be there? NO. Does he know that he is not supposed to be there? YES He rifles some desks, file cabinets, scans lists, checks out credit card numbers. Does he stop and notify security? NO
At this point we know that he alters some data, effectively using resources that the NYTimes has paid for (Property!!) without authorization or permission.
Now he sneaks back out of the building. Does he notify security? NO
What does he do? He notifies the press!
Does he pay the NYTimes for the resources that he pilfered? NO But that is okay, the public opinion of a bunch of sheep/lemmings will bouy you out of troubled water. Lame-o will be a god unto them!
You haven't done anything wrong!?!?! YOU WEAR THE MANTLE OF THE WHITE HAT!!! Your press clippings say so! Your adoring admirers don't care about property! They want a free and open system where they can gambol and despoil the landscape making it impossible for the average user to get anything done.
Bullsh*t
Oh yeah, and about those sys admins that are always getting bashed, the ones who missed that one hole out of a gazillion. The lemmings/sheep will heap steaming trash on their heads too. After all, new exploits happen all of the time. There are so many fingers in the web pie that it's difficult to find all of the openings that vermin can come in through. A few sys admin. A few thousand lemming/sheep.
Let's see these white/black hat lemmings/sheep set up web servers that cannot be broken into while conducting a business similar to the NYTimes. Oh yeah, and with very little money. And let's see them keep it running for a year without anyone breaking into it. And if someone does break in then these same lemmings can get their asses canned.
White hat. Black hat. It's all bullsh*t.
Criminals. (Yeah, this stuff pisses me off!)
Do any of them set up a security business and try this stuff legitimately? The ones who stop being neeping sheep do. But white/black hat dittos don't. They can't. They don't have the strength. They just want to be dittos who aren't responsible for their actions. They just want to have fun. Or see their faces in the press clippings like Lame-o.
People like Lame0 don't create. They don't build companys. They are after the publicity.
Hackers are not crackers. Crackers break into systems. Hackers take things apart to make them work better (all before EULAs) - not to take advantage of someone elses resources (NYTimes). Hackers create. Crackers don't. Cracking a web site creates NOTHING. Nothing but pain and suffering. Nothing but embarassment. Nothing but costs to state and local governments for tracking down the cracker and housing them in our less than sterling jails. Most of these people who claim to be white hat hackers are nothing more than script kiddies/phreaks. The government would not use these wastes of human mind for anything other than office help. Don't give people like Lamo too much credit. Adrian exploited. He did not help. He notified the press, not to help but to seek noteriety. Has he repaid the NYTimes for the resources of theirs that he used? No.
The problem here is that people who like to break into computer networks don't see the harm in their actions. They view it like a little kid, it's theirs and no one has a right to take it away - it's their game/toy/fantasy.
In the case of Adrian Lame-o, the neeping lemmings put him up on an altar and bow down before his mighty web browser. They cannot see anything else but his brilliance.
They do not see the network as property. They can't comprehend the concept of breaking and entering because the net is free!
But here is the truth of it. The NYTimes paid for the servers, routers, firewalls, wiring, fiber, storage devices. This is property. They collect subscription fees from people who want to use this property. That is their right.
They paid people to collect information, stories, lists and data. This is property. They sell this property. That is their right.
They built a store front to allow people to enter their property and conduct business with them. That is their right.
They have security in this building to prevent people from going beyond the ground floor where normal business is conducted. That is their right.
They have paid for all of this.
Now, along comes Lame-o. He sneaks walks into the storefront, looks around and notices that one of the security devices is not turned on. Does he notify anyone? No. When no one is looking he makes his way past security and away from the first floor.
(The security people have their hands full with people trying to get past the first floor and their budget is cut, not enough people to patrol, not enough in the budget to repair, new devices for circumventing security coming out everyday. Can't keep up with training.)
Lame-o is now on the second floor. Does he notify security? NO. Is he supposed to be there? NO He rifles some desks, file cabinets, scans lists, checks out credit card numbers. Does he stop and notify security? NO
At this point we know that he alters some data, effectively using resources that the NYTimes has paid for (Property!!) without authorization or permission.
Now he sneaks back out of the building. Does he notify security? NO
He notifies the press.
Does he pay the NYTimes for the resources that he pilfered? NO But that is okay, the public opinion of a bunch of sheep/lemmings will bouy you out of troubled water. Lame-o will be a god unto them!
You haven't done anything wrong!?!?! YOU WEAR THE MANTLE OF THE WHITE HAT!!! Your press clippings say so! Your adoring admirers don't care about property! They want a free and open system where they can gambol and despoil the landscape making it impossible for the average user to get anything done.
Bullsh*t
Oh yeah, and about those sys admins that are always getting bashed, the ones who missed that one hole out of a gazillion. Let's heap steaming trash on their heads too. After all, new exploits happen all of the time. There are so many fingers in the web pie that it's difficult to find all of the openings that vermin can come in through.
Let's see these white/black hat lemmings/sheep set up web servers that cannot be broken into while conducting a business similar to the NYTimes. Oh yeah, and with very little money. And let's see them keep it running for a year without anyone breaking into it. And if someone does break in then these same lemmings can get their asses canned.
White hat. Black hat. It's all bullsh*t.
Criminals. (Yeah, this stuff pisses me off!)
Do any of them set up a security business and try this stuff legitimately? The ones who stop being neeping sheep do. But white/black hat dittos don't. They can't. They don't have the strength. They just want to be dittos who aren't responsible for their actions. They just want to have fun. Or see their faces in the press clippings like Lame-o.
I see that most of the respondents here have not worked Tech Support. Shame. I have. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's not (alot like life!). My experience is that the (L)users is that 75% of the people who complain barely know how to use a computer. They believe the manufacturer's ads, movies and TV shows where the user/hero just starts pounding the keyboard and they can completely decipher the Dead Sea Scrolls in a matter of seconds - and with no computer knowledge! No login/passwords! No encryption! I had one customer complain that his computer didn't work and that we should take it back. We made the arrangements and when the computer was received back there was a bullet hole in the CPU. So excuse me if I don't cry any tears for the poor (brain dead) users who complain. By the way, it is a pure joy to help a user who is willing to work with you instead of against you.
Reporters do not have to check facts. They only have to report the news. In the event that there is no news, they may invent news.
Of course, this article on the The Inquirer.net about a coder suing SCO for code/copyright violation is worth a chuckle.
I won't rehash the already overstated power and network stuff. But here are some things that should be covered (and usually are not).
1. Have a checklist available on your website listing what the attendee needs to bring. Suggest that they check it when pulling everything together, when putting it in the car, and when they are packing up to leave the LanParty. Include all necessary cables on the list (monitor power, cpu power, ethernet, power strip, et al.)
List what they definately CANNOT BRING! (speakers, drugs - unless prescribed and then no sharing, alcohol, small animals or children)
2. Cheap name tags for the attendees and use a rubber stamp with a unique picture/word on it so that it can't be readily duplicated. Keeps out the people who don't pay.
3. Custom t-shirts (cheap?) for your workers. This helps people find those in power and prevents lamers from pretending that they are with the crew.
4. You can provide drinks, but don't supply food. This being your first event of this size, the logistics of food service can be a nightmare - plus the health department just might have a say in this. Instead have a map listing all of the restaurants in the area (yeah, fast food too!). If you want to organize food runs, don't forget to make it worthwile for the runner - mandatory tip of 15-20% on cost of food. Or they can bring their own.
5. Hire someone to keep clean and take care of the bathrooms. Your attendees are going to miss! And I have seen some instances where one individual was so full of it that they actually clogged the toilet! Everyone will be happier in the long run.
6. No guests! If you don't pay and you don't have a machine, you don't get in. PERIOD
7. Have your attendees mark their valuables / systems. Should something *disappear* this will make recovery easier. Have them sign damage / loss waivers (know any lawyers?) provide marking pens (do not use tape). If they won't mark their equipment make sure that they sign SOMETHING releasing you from responsibility in case it disappears.
8. NO SPEAKERS headphones only.
9. If they can bring coolers make sure that the coolers stay ON THE FLOOR!
10. No refrigerators. There will be enough power drain without that too!
11.Tape down your wiring!
12. No Alcohol! If there are minors wandering around, you could wind up responsible. If someone gets sloshed, tries to drive home and dies you could be responsible. Drunks are no fun.
13. Have lots of soda on hand for sale. Make some extra cash. (this one was covered alot but it needs to be said again).
14. Sleeping area.
15. Game consoles. for those who want to try something different.
Don't expect to have much time to play. A crowd this size will keep you and your people going.
Good Luck!!
Instead of having a packet of information at each table, hand it out at the registration desk and make it mandatory that each player take one. Then they can't say that they did not get one. Also, for your people, have t-shirts made up with some unique logo printed on them. Then your players will be able to spot help, security, whatever and no one will be able to pretend that they are working the party.
...And do NOT let them cascade their surge protectors to other users. If someone has to go home they could wipe out 2 or more other users. Have plenty of spares.
I know that I saw this product on the grocery shelves here in the US recently. For sure it has been around for a while because I bought it for the kids when they were small. Used to come with chocolate or jelly already mixed into the peanut butter. The label had a pair of eyes on it. There was a big ad campaign on the television for a while and then it got relegated to the back shelf. I think it was by Kraft foods (but maybe not) and came out in the 70's. I think that they called it that because of the googly eyes. Wouldn't that be prior use of the name????
Slashdot Mirror
If you are serious about the Texas thing, I am sure that you can set up a GoFundMe page to collect enough from the potatriots there to finish the purchase and secede from the U.S.
"The glasses are not designed to be worn constantly — although Google expects some of the nerdiest users will wear them a lot — but will be more like smartphones, used when needed.'"
Great, now there will be idiots driving AND wearing these. And at restaurants, theaters, and everywhere else cell phone users abusers currently annoy people.
Still, I would love to have one, or two.
Instead of having your tech people make sales (which most tech people hate), have the sales people bring the tech into the call so that they can develop a rapport with the customer. Otherwise, your tech people will have to attend sales meetings which will bum them out completely.
Skynet will take over the world by first taking over the cars!
Yeah, some good advice. I'm married, and while my wife isn't geeky, the same "rules" apply in all marriages, IMO:
Best of luck for your future together! I don't regret getting married for a second.
PS. Also, let her win at things, no matter how good you are. Trust me on this one. Oh, and when you ask her if she's okay and she says, "Nothing's wrong.", give her a hug, because something is definitely wrong!
Add to this:
It's worked for me and my wife for almost 30 years now.
Good luck!
If you have to have a computer, check out the OLPC. It's ruggedized and portable. Plus, it's cheap (relatively). And a portable hard disk drive to store things on.
As an IT tech, I have known users who knew their stuff, maybe 0.5% of the employees of any given company. And I have know techs who did not know their stuff, maybe 60%.
But all in all there are reasons why computers are locked down and there are reasons why IT mandates that "thou shalt not". Too many times there have been licensing issues where a know-it-all user with the ability to install software on their local box has brought in a package from home to install because they could get their work done better/faster/more colorfully with it than they could with the software that the company licensed. And when the project/document/spreadsheet that they created in that software can't be read or modified by any of the licensed software, they instantly become indignant and blame IT for not finding a way to convert their information. Contrary to popular mis-belief, IT does not have experience in EVERY piece of software out there. And when some disgruntled soul left the company they would let the anti-piracy folks know about the illegal installs.
And then there are the ones who download every bit of shareware/freeware/spyware in the known universe to their local box, turning their machine into a zombie or worse.
IT is usually mandated to keep the network running smoothly, virus and spyware free, and within the licensing agreements of the software that they have purchased. To do that they have to lock down the network, the computers and the user rights because the know-it-alls don't care about security, safety or licensing. They just want to run Weatherbug because they are too lazy to check into the WeatherChannel.
And then there are the users who listen to Internet radio (sucking down bandwidth), download illegal music and software (because it's faster than at home), and cruise the porn and game sites. Most users don't remember that the computer, network and internet connection still belong to the company that they work for and the aim of IT is to make sure that everyone can play and work together to the betterment of the company.
Give me a user who will work within the guidelines, request the software that they need to do their job and, at the end of the day, tend to their personal internet needs from their home computers.
a grounding strap across the entire front of the workbench. Something you can touch whenever or lean into to disapate static.
Now new users to the Internet will now have a new way to generate a BSoD.
Remember, if MS denies it, it must be true!
IMHO.
... people try to put the situation into a point of reference that the ditto heads can relate to.
That would be nice but the lemmings following Lame-o just want to ignore facts in order to free their hero in tarnished halo.
The other side want to impress upon the Lemmings that it is wrong to steal other peoples property and the Lemmings don't want to hear it. They want a free system, free of laws and penalties it would seem.
So
The ditto heads just come back ignoring the property issue saying "but i did it for their own good!" like some kind of good samaritan, ignoring the fact that laws were broken and property was abused/stolen.
nuff said?
but you're right. This does get old after a while.
The NYTimes wasn't going to die though. They were being robbed.
Besides, what are the credentials of this "doctor"? Was he studying to be a dentist? a vet? was he a drop out who only did abortions?
Is his "medical opinion" valid? diagnosis correct? Or was he just feeling people up and scaring the hell out of them with his diagnosis?
Here is an analogy - probably more fitting.
He walks into YOUR store. He looks around. Other customers are there looking around. He notices that there are no cameras in the store and he doesn't see a burgler alarm. He returns that night after your store is closed, jimmies open the back door and enters your store. He watches the pay-per-view channel on your tv (yeah, you have cable). He goes through your customer list. He orders a pizza on your credit card number to be delivered. Eats the pizza. Leaves before dawn. Tells the news media about the break in. Tells you about the break in. Wants to give you a security system of dubious quality. You have his stoopid ass arrested.
Yeah, I like that analogy better.
You pay for the pay-per-view he watched.
You pay for the pizza he ate.
You have no idea if he retained any of your customer information.
And every punk in the neighborhood now knows how easy it was to knock over your store.
So you are saying that Lame-o has been asleep all of these years and missed the media frenzy on this type of action?? He somehow didn't know that if you enter someone's computer system without their permission it's illegal??
If that is the case, he shouldn't go to jail. He should go to a mental institution for being too stupid to breathe!
It appears that you forgot about the parts where the doctor picked your pocket and, before telling you about the tumor, told everyone else on the train.
Yeah, good analogy.
... but Lame-o didn't do that. He looked in the house and then entered. Then watched cable tv. Then sent off some magazine subscriptions. Then left and told all of your neighbors about it before telling you.
Lexus/Nexus is a subscription system. If you want things printed out, it costs extra. They gather news from may different sources, electronic and printed, put it in a database for easy searching and then charge people. The idea is to make money off of the information that they had to pay people to gather and input.
If he wanted free, let him use Google/Yahoo.
The problem here is that people who like to break into computer networks don't see the harm in their actions. They view it like a little kid, it's theirs and no one has a right to take it away - it's their game/toy/fantasy.
In the case of Adrian Lame-o, the neeping lemmings put him up on an altar and bow down before his mighty web browser. They cannot see anything else but his brilliance.
They do not see the network as property. They can't comprehend the concept of breaking and entering because the net is free!
But here is the truth of it. The NYTimes paid for the servers, routers, firewalls, wiring, fiber, storage devices. This is property. They collect subscription fees from people who want to use this property. That is their right.
They paid people to collect information, stories, lists and data. This is property. They sell this property. That is their right.
They built a store front to allow people to enter their property and conduct business with them. That is their right.
They have security in this building to prevent people from going beyond the ground floor where normal business is conducted. That is their right.
They have paid for all of this.
Now, along comes Lame-o. He sneaks/walks into the storefront, looks around and notices that one of the security devices is not turned on.
Does he notify anyone? No. When no one is looking he makes his way past security and away from the first floor.
(The security people have their hands full with people trying to get past the first floor and their budget is cut, not enough people to patrol, not enough in the budget to repair, new devices for circumventing security coming out everyday. Can't keep up with training.)
Lame-o is now on the second floor. Does he notify security? NO. Is he supposed to be there? NO. Does he know that he is not supposed to be there? YES
He rifles some desks, file cabinets, scans lists, checks out credit card numbers. Does he stop and notify security? NO
At this point we know that he alters some data, effectively using resources that the NYTimes has paid for (Property!!) without authorization or permission.
Now he sneaks back out of the building. Does he notify security? NO
What does he do? He notifies the press!
Does he pay the NYTimes for the resources that he pilfered? NO
But that is okay, the public opinion of a bunch of sheep/lemmings will bouy you out of troubled water. Lame-o will be a god unto them!
You haven't done anything wrong!?!?! YOU WEAR THE MANTLE OF THE WHITE HAT!!! Your press clippings say so! Your adoring admirers don't care about property! They want a free and open system where they can gambol and despoil the landscape making it impossible for the average user to get anything done.
Bullsh*t
Oh yeah, and about those sys admins that are always getting bashed, the ones who missed that one hole out of a gazillion. The lemmings/sheep will heap steaming trash on their heads too. After all, new exploits happen all of the time. There are so many fingers in the web pie that it's difficult to find all of the openings that vermin can come in through. A few sys admin. A few thousand lemming/sheep.
Let's see these white/black hat lemmings/sheep set up web servers that cannot be broken into while conducting a business similar to the NYTimes. Oh yeah, and with very little money. And let's see them keep it running for a year without anyone breaking into it. And if someone does break in then these same lemmings can get their asses canned.
White hat. Black hat. It's all bullsh*t.
Criminals. (Yeah, this stuff pisses me off!)
Do any of them set up a security business and try this stuff legitimately? The ones who stop being neeping sheep do. But white/black hat dittos don't. They can't. They don't have the strength. They just want to be dittos who aren't responsible for their actions. They just want to have fun. Or see their faces in the press clippings like Lame-o.
People like Lame0 don't create. They don't build companys. They are after the publicity.
Hackers are not crackers. Crackers break into systems. Hackers take things apart to make them work better (all before EULAs) - not to take advantage of someone elses resources (NYTimes).
Hackers create.
Crackers don't.
Cracking a web site creates NOTHING. Nothing but pain and suffering. Nothing but embarassment. Nothing but costs to state and local governments for tracking down the cracker and housing them in our less than sterling jails.
Most of these people who claim to be white hat hackers are nothing more than script kiddies/phreaks. The government would not use these wastes of human mind for anything other than office help. Don't give people like Lamo too much credit.
Adrian exploited. He did not help. He notified the press, not to help but to seek noteriety.
Has he repaid the NYTimes for the resources of theirs that he used? No.
The problem here is that people who like to break into computer networks don't see the harm in their actions. They view it like a little kid, it's theirs and no one has a right to take it away - it's their game/toy/fantasy.
In the case of Adrian Lame-o, the neeping lemmings put him up on an altar and bow down before his mighty web browser. They cannot see anything else but his brilliance.
They do not see the network as property. They can't comprehend the concept of breaking and entering because the net is free!
But here is the truth of it. The NYTimes paid for the servers, routers, firewalls, wiring, fiber, storage devices. This is property. They collect subscription fees from people who want to use this property. That is their right.
They paid people to collect information, stories, lists and data. This is property. They sell this property. That is their right.
They built a store front to allow people to enter their property and conduct business with them. That is their right.
They have security in this building to prevent people from going beyond the ground floor where normal business is conducted. That is their right.
They have paid for all of this.
Now, along comes Lame-o. He sneaks walks into the storefront, looks around and notices that one of the security devices is not turned on.
Does he notify anyone? No. When no one is looking he makes his way past security and away from the first floor.
(The security people have their hands full with people trying to get past the first floor and their budget is cut, not enough people to patrol, not enough in the budget to repair, new devices for circumventing security coming out everyday. Can't keep up with training.)
Lame-o is now on the second floor. Does he notify security? NO. Is he supposed to be there? NO He rifles some desks, file cabinets, scans lists, checks out credit card numbers. Does he stop and notify security? NO
At this point we know that he alters some data, effectively using resources that the NYTimes has paid for (Property!!) without authorization or permission.
Now he sneaks back out of the building. Does he notify security? NO
He notifies the press.
Does he pay the NYTimes for the resources that he pilfered? NO
But that is okay, the public opinion of a bunch of sheep/lemmings will bouy you out of troubled water. Lame-o will be a god unto them!
You haven't done anything wrong!?!?! YOU WEAR THE MANTLE OF THE WHITE HAT!!! Your press clippings say so! Your adoring admirers don't care about property! They want a free and open system where they can gambol and despoil the landscape making it impossible for the average user to get anything done.
Bullsh*t
Oh yeah, and about those sys admins that are always getting bashed, the ones who missed that one hole out of a gazillion. Let's heap steaming trash on their heads too. After all, new exploits happen all of the time. There are so many fingers in the web pie that it's difficult to find all of the openings that vermin can come in through.
Let's see these white/black hat lemmings/sheep set up web servers that cannot be broken into while conducting a business similar to the NYTimes. Oh yeah, and with very little money. And let's see them keep it running for a year without anyone breaking into it. And if someone does break in then these same lemmings can get their asses canned.
White hat. Black hat. It's all bullsh*t.
Criminals. (Yeah, this stuff pisses me off!)
Do any of them set up a security business and try this stuff legitimately? The ones who stop being neeping sheep do. But white/black hat dittos don't. They can't. They don't have the strength. They just want to be dittos who aren't responsible for their actions. They just want to have fun. Or see their faces in the press clippings like Lame-o.
I see that most of the respondents here have not worked Tech Support. Shame. I have. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's not (alot like life!).
My experience is that the (L)users is that 75% of the people who complain barely know how to use a computer. They believe the manufacturer's ads, movies and TV shows where the user/hero just starts pounding the keyboard and they can completely decipher the Dead Sea Scrolls in a matter of seconds - and with no computer knowledge! No login/passwords! No encryption!
I had one customer complain that his computer didn't work and that we should take it back. We made the arrangements and when the computer was received back there was a bullet hole in the CPU.
So excuse me if I don't cry any tears for the poor (brain dead) users who complain.
By the way, it is a pure joy to help a user who is willing to work with you instead of against you.
Reporters do not have to check facts. They only have to report the news. In the event that there is no news, they may invent news. Of course, this article on the The Inquirer.net about a coder suing SCO for code/copyright violation is worth a chuckle.
I won't rehash the already overstated power and network stuff. But here are some things that should be covered (and usually are not).
1. Have a checklist available on your website listing what the attendee needs to bring. Suggest that they check it when pulling everything together, when putting it in the car, and when they are packing up to leave the LanParty. Include all necessary cables on the list (monitor power, cpu power, ethernet, power strip, et al.) List what they definately CANNOT BRING! (speakers, drugs - unless prescribed and then no sharing, alcohol, small animals or children)
2. Cheap name tags for the attendees and use a rubber stamp with a unique picture/word on it so that it can't be readily duplicated. Keeps out the people who don't pay.
3. Custom t-shirts (cheap?) for your workers. This helps people find those in power and prevents lamers from pretending that they are with the crew.
4. You can provide drinks, but don't supply food. This being your first event of this size, the logistics of food service can be a nightmare - plus the health department just might have a say in this. Instead have a map listing all of the restaurants in the area (yeah, fast food too!). If you want to organize food runs, don't forget to make it worthwile for the runner - mandatory tip of 15-20% on cost of food. Or they can bring their own.
5. Hire someone to keep clean and take care of the bathrooms. Your attendees are going to miss! And I have seen some instances where one individual was so full of it that they actually clogged the toilet! Everyone will be happier in the long run.
6. No guests! If you don't pay and you don't have a machine, you don't get in. PERIOD
7. Have your attendees mark their valuables / systems. Should something *disappear* this will make recovery easier. Have them sign damage / loss waivers (know any lawyers?) provide marking pens (do not use tape). If they won't mark their equipment make sure that they sign SOMETHING releasing you from responsibility in case it disappears.
8. NO SPEAKERS headphones only.
9. If they can bring coolers make sure that the coolers stay ON THE FLOOR!
10. No refrigerators. There will be enough power drain without that too!
11.Tape down your wiring!
12. No Alcohol! If there are minors wandering around, you could wind up responsible. If someone gets sloshed, tries to drive home and dies you could be responsible. Drunks are no fun.
13. Have lots of soda on hand for sale. Make some extra cash. (this one was covered alot but it needs to be said again).
14. Sleeping area.
15. Game consoles. for those who want to try something different.
Don't expect to have much time to play. A crowd this size will keep you and your people going.
Good Luck!!
Instead of having a packet of information at each table, hand it out at the registration desk and make it mandatory that each player take one. Then they can't say that they did not get one.
Also, for your people, have t-shirts made up with some unique logo printed on them. Then your players will be able to spot help, security, whatever and no one will be able to pretend that they are working the party.
...And do NOT let them cascade their surge protectors to other users. If someone has to go home they could wipe out 2 or more other users. Have plenty of spares.
I know that I saw this product on the grocery shelves here in the US recently. For sure it has been around for a while because I bought it for the kids when they were small. Used to come with chocolate or jelly already mixed into the peanut butter. The label had a pair of eyes on it. There was a big ad campaign on the television for a while and then it got relegated to the back shelf. I think it was by Kraft foods (but maybe not) and came out in the 70's. I think that they called it that because of the googly eyes.
Wouldn't that be prior use of the name????