Sure it can and WILL. Perhaps/.ers could begin a wish list? I know I have one request above all others myself: FIX EXPLORER. Since the beginning of Windows, when you browse your way to some folder on your hard drive, re-opening Explorer starts all over again, forcing you to click madly just to get back to where ever you were. On some other OS's, re-opening the Explorer equivalent starts back where you last were. This is infinitely preferable to the way Windows works. I read years ago that Windows did this to avoid some legal issues. Are they still in effect? This change would make what is now a big pain in the ass decent.
Eddie Currents
I managed our county network for the Supervisor Of Elections for 5 years. I am also a contract coder. It has been pointed out how painfully simple the code to perform a simple voting function can be, Windows, Linux, Mac - doesn't matter really. Voting boils down to, once verified, selecting from a short list of options, recording that result and moving on. A paper printout of each voters choices would be simplicity itself. What IS the big deal here? I can not imagine how this even became a subject for Slashdot except that corporate greed and payola seem to be at work once again. From a programmers standpoint, voting is bonehead simple. Is there no honest corner of our government system anymore?? I can't seem to find one. Perhaps one exists somewhere but it seems that we've got only self-serving assholes and liars running the show. How can we EVER trust anything we hear from government or it's various agencies? I for one am sick of this crap and you should be too (IMO).
Fundamental thoughts constantly in the heads of those that "do" this
technology are, "what if it gets captured/inspected/duplicated/used against
us?"
I believe that, as in the micro processor business, the "state of the art" you
can purchase right now today is at least 3 if not more versions back from that
the vendor actually has working, either ready to roll or happening bench
models.
IF so, I wonder what's "on the slab" right now that would REALLY scare/impress
us tech admirers?? I say that as once we humans read of this stuff on/., I do
not believe the technology is anymore truly a secret or is worried about much. I feel it's as if Intel just released a new gen of chips!
It might be compelling for/. visionaries to contribute their own tech ideas
for remote killing machines. SciFi from Simak, Silverberg or Herbert, wow,
from early Marvel Comics alone - Tony Stark, Bruce Banner?? SOME of those
devices might have actually worked. We become a bargain basement think tank.
More of a think "Mason Jar".
I lived in the Detroit area for 7 long years. I had good friends that worked in union auto plants and the stories were amazing and scary. It's a wonder that a majority of cars run at all once they limp out of a union shop. A buddy had a job supplying a very slowly moving line with parts at a GM plant. He told me that it took him just under an hour to do his "job" and then he'd sleep the rest of the shift! Outrageous? One day he grabbed a broom and began sweeping up his messy area and was written up and skewered by his "steward". He almost lost his job over that transgression. So instead, he sleeps and nobody complains. I could tell many such tales. Also, it should be remembered that in 1972, I bought a brand new Chevelle SS for $3230. A cheapy car now is $20K and up. What has accounted for this increase in cost? Better cars? More features? No. Unions are at least partly responsible for this as they demand huge wages for workers that could not make that kind of money in any other way. Then they strike and claim the union members are being screwed somehow - low wages, not enough insurance, etc. I manage a 100 user network in IT for a county property appraiser. I make $40K/year though I am very skilled. I hold a Novell CNE/CNA, Microsoft NT certification, 98 certs., I am A+ and Net+ certified. IF this were a union shop, I'd likely make at least double what I do now but where would that money come from? You can depend upon the powers that be scrambling to replace me with a cheaper alternative should unionization take place. Then I'd have all the attributes that I do now and could say "I'm union - I don't have a job, but I'm union and proud of it." In 1973, I worked during the Summer during college as an oil pipeline laborer. I was a proud member of the Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers union. They paid me 14.66/hour and that was 35 years ago!! I ran something they called a "Vacuum Truck". It was my job to wear rubber waders and suck raw crude off the top of bodies of water where a leak had occurred. I wasn't allowed to drive the truck either and so when it filled up, another union guy drove the truck to the refinery where it was emptied. REALLY wasteful but I DID make a lot of money. In retrospect, I wished that I had kept that job and skipped the IT work. I was a physics major and math minor. I look back over all the years and find myself shaking my head at this. Unions self destruct, drive prices for goods to ridiculous amounts, and award laziness while punishing initiative. So what's with that?
I can't help but to see this in a UK/US parallel. Here in Florida, you are constantly encouraged to be a "good citizen" and to phone in that which you see that is "wrong" (your call there). The mantra is pasted on the rear of every police vehicle and many other county vehicles, "SEE A CRIME? CALL 800-ANY-TIPS". So you see, we've already been there and done that in many ways. Cameras are up at virtually all intersections (who watches that stuff, anyway? JUST machines and/or sinister human beings?).
The big difference I see is that when WE call in with something (dumptrucks full of pot or a van-full of really pissed off latinos with automatic weapons), we're promptly ignored while I suspect you get action? At least an inquiry?
Here in this county, our police are completely equipped even with an armored attack vehicle (in 5 years it's been in several parades), 3 full time helicopters that cost incredible money to operate as they swoop down on your homes' vicinity at any hour - and these babies are loud. They have the weapons, the manpower and the firepower to repel - what? They seldom come at all or with zeal enough to get them on the spot within 20 minutes or so. And if summoned for what we the citizens feel is a REAL emergency, action here happens only for what THEY gauge is worthy of consideration, expensive time and effort - unless it's a "special" person (connected, elected or notably wealthy and respected).
I imagine that it's much the same in other places in the USA as well. The UK seems to be catching up to much of the surveillance trendage already happening elsewhere. Orwell was close, just too optimistic. IF you carry anything electronic, from a watch to an IPod or phone, you likely already are being monitored in some way. GPS, RFID, Blue Tooth, cell technologies - ALL can and either will be or are being used to track you, monitor you and to scope you out. Eventually insurance companies will cash in by profiling your habits, food you buy, hours you keep meds you buy, legal and illegal, people you associate with, bump into or run over. It is not far off at all and it's my feeling that IF it can be done, it WILL be done and regard for legality or morality will be tossed out the window due to the suspicion that we of the general masses are but trash anyway or at least until proven otherwise.
You can either wear a tin-foil party hat, move to B.F.E. or go to work for the watchers. No option exists for "just leave me alone" anymore. NONE.
Through family associations, I was able to go to a wonderland place as a kid, the chem lab at an oil refinery. I was given the most excellent glassware and stuff that they were replacing. Top line gum rubber hose, fittings - on and on. I had a a "lab" in my basement that was, as you might imagine, pretty amazing. I messed with lot's of things; gun powder and such, acids, bases, wow. You could buy sulphur, saltpetre, ribbons of copper, zinc, magnesium, brass tubing, glass tubing... all the the Newberry's Dime Store! They had a huge selection of chemical wares in little glass bottles with blue and white labels.
This article really made me float back 45 years and once again I was standing, transfixed in front of the huge wall of little jars, imagining what I could make. I run networks now days but my experiences with chemicals and labs were some of the best times I had as a kid. I went electronics but... what could I have made??
Anyone that would have shut me down is unthinkable and wrong. I endangered no one but myself, if at all. I was very careful. My parents applauded and supported my efforts - they supported everything creative that I did and they were the best.
So ask Ms. Wilderman what 6.02 x 10 to the 23rd is? If Pam can't answer, she shouldn't complain.
Slashdot Mirror
Sure it can and WILL. Perhaps /.ers could begin a wish list? I know I have one request above all others myself: FIX EXPLORER. Since the beginning of Windows, when you browse your way to some folder on your hard drive, re-opening Explorer starts all over again, forcing you to click madly just to get back to where ever you were. On some other OS's, re-opening the Explorer equivalent starts back where you last were. This is infinitely preferable to the way Windows works. I read years ago that Windows did this to avoid some legal issues. Are they still in effect? This change would make what is now a big pain in the ass decent.
Eddie Currents
I managed our county network for the Supervisor Of Elections for 5 years. I am also a contract coder. It has been pointed out how painfully simple the code to perform a simple voting function can be, Windows, Linux, Mac - doesn't matter really. Voting boils down to, once verified, selecting from a short list of options, recording that result and moving on. A paper printout of each voters choices would be simplicity itself. What IS the big deal here? I can not imagine how this even became a subject for Slashdot except that corporate greed and payola seem to be at work once again. From a programmers standpoint, voting is bonehead simple. Is there no honest corner of our government system anymore?? I can't seem to find one. Perhaps one exists somewhere but it seems that we've got only self-serving assholes and liars running the show. How can we EVER trust anything we hear from government or it's various agencies? I for one am sick of this crap and you should be too (IMO).
Fundamental thoughts constantly in the heads of those that "do" this technology are, "what if it gets captured/inspected/duplicated/used against us?" I believe that, as in the micro processor business, the "state of the art" you can purchase right now today is at least 3 if not more versions back from that the vendor actually has working, either ready to roll or happening bench models. IF so, I wonder what's "on the slab" right now that would REALLY scare/impress us tech admirers?? I say that as once we humans read of this stuff on /., I do
not believe the technology is anymore truly a secret or is worried about much. I feel it's as if Intel just released a new gen of chips!
It might be compelling for /. visionaries to contribute their own tech ideas
for remote killing machines. SciFi from Simak, Silverberg or Herbert, wow,
from early Marvel Comics alone - Tony Stark, Bruce Banner?? SOME of those
devices might have actually worked. We become a bargain basement think tank.
More of a think "Mason Jar".
I lived in the Detroit area for 7 long years. I had good friends that worked in union auto plants and the stories were amazing and scary. It's a wonder that a majority of cars run at all once they limp out of a union shop. A buddy had a job supplying a very slowly moving line with parts at a GM plant. He told me that it took him just under an hour to do his "job" and then he'd sleep the rest of the shift! Outrageous? One day he grabbed a broom and began sweeping up his messy area and was written up and skewered by his "steward". He almost lost his job over that transgression. So instead, he sleeps and nobody complains. I could tell many such tales. Also, it should be remembered that in 1972, I bought a brand new Chevelle SS for $3230. A cheapy car now is $20K and up. What has accounted for this increase in cost? Better cars? More features? No. Unions are at least partly responsible for this as they demand huge wages for workers that could not make that kind of money in any other way. Then they strike and claim the union members are being screwed somehow - low wages, not enough insurance, etc. I manage a 100 user network in IT for a county property appraiser. I make $40K/year though I am very skilled. I hold a Novell CNE/CNA, Microsoft NT certification, 98 certs., I am A+ and Net+ certified. IF this were a union shop, I'd likely make at least double what I do now but where would that money come from? You can depend upon the powers that be scrambling to replace me with a cheaper alternative should unionization take place. Then I'd have all the attributes that I do now and could say "I'm union - I don't have a job, but I'm union and proud of it." In 1973, I worked during the Summer during college as an oil pipeline laborer. I was a proud member of the Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers union. They paid me 14.66/hour and that was 35 years ago!! I ran something they called a "Vacuum Truck". It was my job to wear rubber waders and suck raw crude off the top of bodies of water where a leak had occurred. I wasn't allowed to drive the truck either and so when it filled up, another union guy drove the truck to the refinery where it was emptied. REALLY wasteful but I DID make a lot of money. In retrospect, I wished that I had kept that job and skipped the IT work. I was a physics major and math minor. I look back over all the years and find myself shaking my head at this. Unions self destruct, drive prices for goods to ridiculous amounts, and award laziness while punishing initiative. So what's with that?
I can't help but to see this in a UK/US parallel. Here in Florida, you are constantly encouraged to be a "good citizen" and to phone in that which you see that is "wrong" (your call there). The mantra is pasted on the rear of every police vehicle and many other county vehicles, "SEE A CRIME? CALL 800-ANY-TIPS". So you see, we've already been there and done that in many ways. Cameras are up at virtually all intersections (who watches that stuff, anyway? JUST machines and/or sinister human beings?). The big difference I see is that when WE call in with something (dumptrucks full of pot or a van-full of really pissed off latinos with automatic weapons), we're promptly ignored while I suspect you get action? At least an inquiry? Here in this county, our police are completely equipped even with an armored attack vehicle (in 5 years it's been in several parades), 3 full time helicopters that cost incredible money to operate as they swoop down on your homes' vicinity at any hour - and these babies are loud. They have the weapons, the manpower and the firepower to repel - what? They seldom come at all or with zeal enough to get them on the spot within 20 minutes or so. And if summoned for what we the citizens feel is a REAL emergency, action here happens only for what THEY gauge is worthy of consideration, expensive time and effort - unless it's a "special" person (connected, elected or notably wealthy and respected). I imagine that it's much the same in other places in the USA as well. The UK seems to be catching up to much of the surveillance trendage already happening elsewhere. Orwell was close, just too optimistic. IF you carry anything electronic, from a watch to an IPod or phone, you likely already are being monitored in some way. GPS, RFID, Blue Tooth, cell technologies - ALL can and either will be or are being used to track you, monitor you and to scope you out. Eventually insurance companies will cash in by profiling your habits, food you buy, hours you keep meds you buy, legal and illegal, people you associate with, bump into or run over. It is not far off at all and it's my feeling that IF it can be done, it WILL be done and regard for legality or morality will be tossed out the window due to the suspicion that we of the general masses are but trash anyway or at least until proven otherwise. You can either wear a tin-foil party hat, move to B.F.E. or go to work for the watchers. No option exists for "just leave me alone" anymore. NONE.
Through family associations, I was able to go to a wonderland place as a kid, the chem lab at an oil refinery. I was given the most excellent glassware and stuff that they were replacing. Top line gum rubber hose, fittings - on and on. I had a a "lab" in my basement that was, as you might imagine, pretty amazing. I messed with lot's of things; gun powder and such, acids, bases, wow. You could buy sulphur, saltpetre, ribbons of copper, zinc, magnesium, brass tubing, glass tubing ... all the the Newberry's Dime Store! They had a huge selection of chemical wares in little glass bottles with blue and white labels.
This article really made me float back 45 years and once again I was standing, transfixed in front of the huge wall of little jars, imagining what I could make. I run networks now days but my experiences with chemicals and labs were some of the best times I had as a kid. I went electronics but ... what could I have made??
Anyone that would have shut me down is unthinkable and wrong. I endangered no one but myself, if at all. I was very careful. My parents applauded and supported my efforts - they supported everything creative that I did and they were the best.
So ask Ms. Wilderman what 6.02 x 10 to the 23rd is? If Pam can't answer, she shouldn't complain.