At the bottom of the referenced page, you'll set this lovely nugget of wisdom:
Buy yourself a Mac and OS X, and you will be rid of security problems for good.
Mac OS X is a standard Unix; therefore, it is no more secure than Windows.
(Emphasis mine.)
His article and FAQ shows him to be the 'average user' - knows enough to be dangerous, more than enough to complain, but not willing to take rudimentary steps to protect himself, such as actually going out and buying some personal firewall software. (Granted, he's in Pakistan, so CompUSA is not an option.)
I agree with his underlying sentiment - a user should not be expected to have to fix known and established holes in software, especially OS. But the "unix is just as insecure as Windows" was a hoot!
Seriously, just because a poorly realized precedent is used against an unpopular target in no way changes the fact that the precedent is still a Bad Idea(tm). Yes, I too am glad to see X10 get smacked down, for a variety of reasons, but I see no long-term good out of this. I wish the article itself was more detailed, however.
Buy it, get the fix. Come november, but that one, and give this one to less geeky friends. (Such as me!)
(PS: Don't moderate this up: I'm trying to see if/.'s policy of not allowing mods to post in the same topic they've modded is enforced, or merely etiquette.
Also, I found the best thing I had was a TV tuner. That way I could watch the cable provided by dorms and places, but not have to move a TV. I could also watch TV and chat and stuff. It was really nice.
On that note, how about a vga box? Basically converts composite NTSC on RCA format plug to analog VGA. Has HD15 input cable, HD15 output jack, and RCA jack. Turns her computer monitor into a video monitor.
Forever War Tidbits
on
The Forever War
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
Apocryphal Anecdote: Haldeman was hospitalized after being wounded by a land mine in Viet Nam, reads Starship Troopers; says, "This is bogus! I'll write a book to tell them how it's really like!"
Marvano's graphic novelization of The Forever War ISBN numbers:
Book 10-918348-95-1
Book 21-56163-025-X
Book 31-56163-045-4
All are $8.95 cover price, printed 1990-1991 Nantier Beall Minoustchine (35-53 70th St. Jackson Hights, NY 11372). Don't know if they are still in business.
A quickie review of the graphic novelization:
It's beautifully drawn, similar to Druuna or other high-end euro-comics. As an avid fan of the the novel, I found the graphic novelization to be faithful in tone and characterization, but missing quite a few of the details that made the book one of my favorites. I have it on my "best of comics" shelf with Zot, Watchmen and Maus.
I'm very glad I spent the $27 on the books, and no you can't have them! =)
The "about the author" page on the graphic novel also states that (at the time, obviously) Joe Haldeman teaches an MIT seminar on writing science fiction.
[Spoilers throughout this post - if you're reading this far down, it won't have made any sense to you unless you watched the film already anyhow.]
Must disagree. Here's Supercop Z (Rush Hour 2 w/o the upstaging sidekick):
1) Big boom. Same as before.
2) Meet Jackie. He's busting some perp's @$$, taking down him and his thugs. Just to show off, his cel phone goes off in the rumble, and he has enough oomph to answer it, let the chief tell the perp he's busted, salute, and put it away, all while fighting the perp.
3) He comes into the station. He meets the prick only to be told to stay the heck out. Ricky Tam's name is dropped. He's interested. Both his chief and the Treasury dild0 tell him to stand down.
4) He rousts Ricky. The Treasury undercover folk get all riled up that he's blowing the op. They try to move him aside. Good fight opportunity, only for him to realize that he's just bounced two Secret Service agents. Treasury ijit shows up again. Chan turns in his shield. "Where's your piece?" "In my locker. I never carry it."
5) Ricky contacts Chan, thanks him for rousting the Treasury tails. Invites him to the yacht for the party and asks him 'aboard'. Chan declines, but makes Sanchez's acquaintence. Later on, while sneaking around, he saves Sanchez from Zhang helping her have an 'accident', seeing as she can't kill her in an obvious fashion.
He loses Zhang, but finds Ricky. Ricky confides his dilemma. Suddenly, Zhang comes out and shoots Ricky. Sanchez blindsides Zhang, sending her into Causeway Bay. Debt repaid.
6) Mr. Treasury is chewing out Chan. Afterwards,
Sanchez comes over, thanks him, and kisses him. French. He's surprised, because after she quickly leaves, he spit out the note she passed in the kiss. It reads "Call me if you're in LA: 213-555-1234." On the back is written "Tomorrow".
7) Dissolve to Sanchez on the phone. She nods, then hands the phone over Zhang. Speaking to one of the thugs, "Tell her that the boss knows. Anything happen to me, happens to her. She better hope I don't get a hangnail."
8) Cut to Chan talking on his cel phone. "No, sir. I completely understand. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. I stay out of their way." Pull back to reveal he is in his car in front the airport.
I gotta go right now, but I may finish it up later. It's not that hard to do. This was pretty much stream of consciousness, trying to hit the main plot points in the film (I'd change the plot, myself) but trying to show it's easy to do without Chris Tucker.
Project A, part II IMPO, Jackie Chan's best work. Some of the best fight sequences, some of the insane stuntwork (running down a 5 story bamboo scaffold while it's falling!), and some of the funniest comedy sequences. Has a great sendup of the "two guys handcuffed wrist-to-wrist" cinematic gag.
Drunken Master. No, not Legend of the Drunken Master. This one has almost no production values aside from the martial arts, but it's amazing to see the capabilities of a young Jackie Chan.
Once Upon A Time In China 1 - 3. The latter ones are a different director, but they're amazing examples of wire-fu. #5 deserves a mention simply because it's so over-the-top, it's [un]intentionally funny.
By the Sword. Not asian martial arts, but a good martial plot instead.
While the open source ethic is altruistic and secure and good, it's not conducive to a regular paycheck, especially in a recession. Not all open source projects will bite it, not all open source proponents will migrate away. Think of it as a thinning of the hurd. =)
If a company feels its continued viability takes precedence over the choice to support open source, that's its decision to make. Yes, we have the right (and some say even the obligation) to judge them based on their decision, but we always do for every decision everyone makes.
As for Opera, I'm downloading it now, and hope to make it my default browser.
Too bad the ones I get are all plastered over with stickers hawking AOL, and it's impossible to get them off w/o ruining the plasting that keeps the insert on.
I'd say it's well done, though a little self-indulgent in the cinematography. The plot is fairly light, with lots of character development along the way. Then again, the plot to The Sixth Sense is pretty light too.
The "game" in this film was fairly obvious to the person with whom I saw the film. I wasn't looking for a "game", so I didn't bother to try to guess the trick ending. When it unfolded, I found myself shrugging. Fortunately, Shyamalan didn't do the "told-ya-so" montage like in The Sixth Sense where he showed all the scenes in a rush that should have led the audience to the conclusion.
The "game" was there, it was a surprise, but it just wasn't a big deal.
Okay, so if the movie doesn't have a lot of plot, had cinematography issues (personal opinion) and the trick ending wasn't a big deal, then what was left?
The acting was good. I don't think there were any Academy Award level performances here, though Samuel L. Jackson's part was very well played.
The effects were good. Actually, the best part about the effects was the restraint with which they were used. Rather than show the effect, they often instead alluded to it, increasing the suspense and tension.
The music was very good. I'm going to buy the soundtrack next chance I get.
You can just save the source and grep
for the *.mov HREF, then point
your browser at it instead. I'd post
the link, but the "Lameness filter" kicks in
because akamai.net seems to like pseudo-random paths to their data nuggets.
And if I were to say, "Those who would trade their cash for food deserve neither," how would that parse differently?
The quote attributed to Franklin (or Jefferson) has been used by just about every extremist movement, from pro-gun to pro-abortion to pro-prayer to <foo>. However, once dissected it simply is a statement of stance, akin to "I want X and I want Y, and I want them both, and I want them in full."
Next obscure Star Trek parody song: Banned from Argo (no, not a Star Blazers reference) where the crew goes to visit Argo on shore leave and ends up wreaking their usual havok. Any sightings or links?
The one provision I love is for the manufacturer to reposses the software in the event of a dispute.
Does it include Windows?
on
The $299 PC
·
· Score: 1
I wonder what percentage of the $299 price is Windows if it is even included.
Probably only $50, if Microsoft is smart. They realize that PCs are soon to be disposable commodities, much like telephones are today (and cell phones will be soon.) so they know their current license pricing structure is nearing the end of its useful life. With all these cheap and ~free PCs, they'll be smart to move to monthly licensing.
Slashdot Mirror
At the bottom of the referenced page, you'll set this lovely nugget of wisdom:
(Emphasis mine.)His article and FAQ shows him to be the 'average user' - knows enough to be dangerous, more than enough to complain, but not willing to take rudimentary steps to protect himself, such as actually going out and buying some personal firewall software. (Granted, he's in Pakistan, so CompUSA is not an option.)
I agree with his underlying sentiment - a user should not be expected to have to fix known and established holes in software, especially OS. But the "unix is just as insecure as Windows" was a hoot!
I use Mozilla... what's a pop-under?
Seriously, just because a poorly realized precedent is used against an unpopular target in no way changes the fact that the precedent is still a Bad Idea(tm). Yes, I too am glad to see X10 get smacked down, for a variety of reasons, but I see no long-term good out of this. I wish the article itself was more detailed, however.
If you want prescience, you must read Vinge's True Names.
Use the Mirror Mirror universe.
Buy it, get the fix. Come november, but that one, and give this one to less geeky friends. (Such as me!)
/.'s policy of not allowing mods to post in the same topic they've modded is enforced, or merely etiquette.
(PS: Don't moderate this up: I'm trying to see if
Moral of the story: all depends on how much you want to spend...
On that note, how about a vga box? Basically converts composite NTSC on RCA format plug to analog VGA. Has HD15 input cable, HD15 output jack, and RCA jack. Turns her computer monitor into a video monitor.
It's beautifully drawn, similar to Druuna or other high-end euro-comics. As an avid fan of the the novel, I found the graphic novelization to be faithful in tone and characterization, but missing quite a few of the details that made the book one of my favorites. I have it on my "best of comics" shelf with Zot, Watchmen and Maus.
I'm very glad I spent the $27 on the books, and no you can't have them! =)
I think the only use of the baseball bat is to get into a police car.
What scenes of sexual violence? The cut-scenes imply some, but it's never shown.
Didn't someone ask this already? My favorite response was the E-Holster
[Spoilers throughout this post - if you're reading this far down, it won't have made any sense to you unless you watched the film already anyhow.] Must disagree. Here's Supercop Z (Rush Hour 2 w/o the upstaging sidekick): 1) Big boom. Same as before. 2) Meet Jackie. He's busting some perp's @$$, taking down him and his thugs. Just to show off, his cel phone goes off in the rumble, and he has enough oomph to answer it, let the chief tell the perp he's busted, salute, and put it away, all while fighting the perp. 3) He comes into the station. He meets the prick only to be told to stay the heck out. Ricky Tam's name is dropped. He's interested. Both his chief and the Treasury dild0 tell him to stand down. 4) He rousts Ricky. The Treasury undercover folk get all riled up that he's blowing the op. They try to move him aside. Good fight opportunity, only for him to realize that he's just bounced two Secret Service agents. Treasury ijit shows up again. Chan turns in his shield. "Where's your piece?" "In my locker. I never carry it." 5) Ricky contacts Chan, thanks him for rousting the Treasury tails. Invites him to the yacht for the party and asks him 'aboard'. Chan declines, but makes Sanchez's acquaintence. Later on, while sneaking around, he saves Sanchez from Zhang helping her have an 'accident', seeing as she can't kill her in an obvious fashion. He loses Zhang, but finds Ricky. Ricky confides his dilemma. Suddenly, Zhang comes out and shoots Ricky. Sanchez blindsides Zhang, sending her into Causeway Bay. Debt repaid. 6) Mr. Treasury is chewing out Chan. Afterwards, Sanchez comes over, thanks him, and kisses him. French. He's surprised, because after she quickly leaves, he spit out the note she passed in the kiss. It reads "Call me if you're in LA: 213-555-1234." On the back is written "Tomorrow". 7) Dissolve to Sanchez on the phone. She nods, then hands the phone over Zhang. Speaking to one of the thugs, "Tell her that the boss knows. Anything happen to me, happens to her. She better hope I don't get a hangnail." 8) Cut to Chan talking on his cel phone. "No, sir. I completely understand. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. I stay out of their way." Pull back to reveal he is in his car in front the airport. I gotta go right now, but I may finish it up later. It's not that hard to do. This was pretty much stream of consciousness, trying to hit the main plot points in the film (I'd change the plot, myself) but trying to show it's easy to do without Chris Tucker.
And some more...
Project A, part II IMPO, Jackie Chan's best work. Some of the best fight sequences, some of the insane stuntwork (running down a 5 story bamboo scaffold while it's falling!), and some of the funniest comedy sequences. Has a great sendup of the "two guys handcuffed wrist-to-wrist" cinematic gag.
Drunken Master. No, not Legend of the Drunken Master. This one has almost no production values aside from the martial arts, but it's amazing to see the capabilities of a young Jackie Chan.
Once Upon A Time In China 1 - 3. The latter ones are a different director, but they're amazing examples of wire-fu. #5 deserves a mention simply because it's so over-the-top, it's [un]intentionally funny.
By the Sword. Not asian martial arts, but a good martial plot instead.
If a company feels its continued viability takes precedence over the choice to support open source, that's its decision to make. Yes, we have the right (and some say even the obligation) to judge them based on their decision, but we always do for every decision everyone makes.
As for Opera, I'm downloading it now, and hope to make it my default browser.
Too bad the ones I get are all plastered over with stickers hawking AOL, and it's impossible to get them off w/o ruining the plasting that keeps the insert on.
The "game" in this film was fairly obvious to the person with whom I saw the film. I wasn't looking for a "game", so I didn't bother to try to guess the trick ending. When it unfolded, I found myself shrugging. Fortunately, Shyamalan didn't do the "told-ya-so" montage like in The Sixth Sense where he showed all the scenes in a rush that should have led the audience to the conclusion.
The "game" was there, it was a surprise, but it just wasn't a big deal.
Okay, so if the movie doesn't have a lot of plot, had cinematography issues (personal opinion) and the trick ending wasn't a big deal, then what was left?
The acting was good. I don't think there were any Academy Award level performances here, though Samuel L. Jackson's part was very well played.
The effects were good. Actually, the best part about the effects was the restraint with which they were used. Rather than show the effect, they often instead alluded to it, increasing the suspense and tension.
The music was very good. I'm going to buy the soundtrack next chance I get.
Evidently, Adobe.com got redirected, too.
The quote attributed to Franklin (or Jefferson) has been used by just about every extremist movement, from pro-gun to pro-abortion to pro-prayer to <foo>. However, once dissected it simply is a statement of stance, akin to "I want X and I want Y, and I want them both, and I want them in full."
Unfortunately, they're not that common, and hence have a high price. Also, Chinese engineering isn't the highest quality, so your mileage may vary.
Still, I've $350 in bonus that I have yet to spend, and given the auction history of the item, that will cover it.
Well, there's the TRGpro, a Palm III with a CF slot. It has .wav out, but it lacks a headphone jack. =(
Next obscure Star Trek parody song: Banned from Argo (no, not a Star Blazers reference) where the crew goes to visit Argo on shore leave and ends up wreaking their usual havok. Any sightings or links?
The one provision I love is for the manufacturer to reposses the software in the event of a dispute.
Probably only $50, if Microsoft is smart. They realize that PCs are soon to be disposable commodities, much like telephones are today (and cell phones will be soon.) so they know their current license pricing structure is nearing the end of its useful life. With all these cheap and ~free PCs, they'll be smart to move to monthly licensing.