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User: mea_culpa

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  1. Re:why not ban capitalism? on Paul's Call To Abolish the TSA, One Year Later · · Score: 0

    Because governments meddle too much turning an otherwise mostly self-correcting system into crony capitalism. The moment any regulation is introduced the government has metaphorically jabbed a pole in an otherwise smooth flowing stream. The distortions caused by this affect the surrounding environment creating the need for more regulation and more poles jabbed. Before long the system is so chaotic and distorted that it is unrecognizable as capitalism.

    Government policy created the worst offending corporations we see today. Don't confuse this crony capitalism with capitalism.

  2. Re: what? on What Modern Militaries Can Learn From Battlestar Galactica · · Score: 1

    GPS is not necessary in modern aviation and is not used as much as you may think. Modern commercial and military aircraft typically use INS/IRS during flight and use GPS only during the initial flight programming while on the ground and/or manually if the pilot wishes to compensate for INS drift while in flight. If GPS were knocked out during flight it would not affect commercial or military flights equipped with INS.
    I would assume that with the $billions dumped into military drone development that they operate the same way. Instead of a pilot they rely on computer vision systems and INS during a GPS outage or loss of communication with C&C.

    The real danger we face is not jamming, but cyber warfare. We have already seen the command and control compromised with the RQ-170. A $1 billion INS equipped drone that seeming landed safely on an Iranian airstrip. Think about that one for a minute. For the C&C of a drone to be taken over like that, security at the deepest levels in the military must have been compromised. Of course it is easier to play like an ostrich and keep your head in the sand and believe the official story that GPS (which is never the primary flight sensor in military or commercial flight) was used to land a $1 billion drone on enemy territory.

  3. Re:Serves them right on Windows Store In-App Ad Revenue Plummets · · Score: 1

    What it feels like using Windows 8

    Yes, it is functional but only enjoyable to a small minority.

  4. Re:Fiat Currency on Steve Forbes: Bitcoin Not Money · · Score: 1

    The nice thing about bitcoin is there is no record of ownership if you do it right. A bitcoin address can be as small as 22 characters, these characters are the store of value. Use your imagination on where this string of characters can be hidden.
    How would the IRS even know you owned them?

  5. Re:Ask the (ABC) Australian Broadcasting Corp. on Ask Slashdot: Enterprise Bitcoin Mining For Go-Green Initiatives? · · Score: 4, Interesting

    This.

    Connect a Kill A Watt and compare your energy usage under full and idle loads.
    My PC consumes about 60W idle and 250W under full load.
    10 years ago it would make sense to use spare clock cycles for side projects, today not so much.

  6. Re:Bullshit story and another Slashdot low on Microsoft To Abandon Windows Phone? · · Score: 1

    With all of the FUD Microsoft lobbed towards Linux beginning in the 90's, it is fun to see the tables turned for once.

  7. The cheese has moved on Is the Wii U Already Dead? · · Score: 4, Insightful

    and Nintendo is seemingly unaware.

    Every kid I know want's either a smartphone or tablet. From my observation the only people playing consoles anymore are teenagers and adults that grew up with consoles many of which are increasingly shifting their attention to mobile. The younger kids have ditched their DSi for iTouches over the last two years and are playing casual and social games. When I visit family I am bombarded by nephews and nieces that want to play my iPad.

    Nintendo is trying with a tablet but doing it horribly wrong. Instead of focusing on their hardware they need to focus on their software on established mobile hardware and ecosystems.

    Every year more mobile devices activate than all consoles sold combined. Mobile devices also iterate with a much higher frequency. Most modern mobile devices are fully capable of rendering any Nintendo title if adapted for it.

    My prediction is none of the new consoles will sell as well as the prior version and all will likely flop. They will fail for the reason that they focus on a living room that has become mostly vacant.

  8. moderation undo post on HR Departments Tell Equifax Your Entire Salary History · · Score: 1

    undoing incorrect moderation.
    If there is a better way to do this let me know.

  9. Re:Good on Time Warner Boosts Broadband Customer Speed — But Only Near Google Fiber · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I agree so long as the government doesn't choose winners and losers like they have done and still currently do.
    AT&T prior to the breakup is a good example of how far this cronyism can go. Don't get me started on the industrial media complex. Right now it is cellular carriers and cable companies. Both are using public resources unfairly.
    Your public road analogy is good, but if you were to accurately compare it to the telecommunication industry there would be roads that only Ford, Chevy, and Crystler vehicles were allowed to drive on. Chevy would make and agreement with Ford to allow eachother's cars on their roads but not Toyota, KIA and many others. The barrier to entry would be so high that newer better cars would not be allowed in.

    When Cox bought out our local Cable America in Phoenix all they did was switch subscribers over, and charge 20% more. Did they use any of the infrastructure of the competitor that they bought out? No, they systematically dismantled it. All of those years of negotiations with various municipalities to get access to easements, poles, alley ways, etc. all gone. The millions of dollars spent to install that mostly redundant infrastructure also gone. There is no possible way now, unless you are Google, to come in and compete with them.

  10. Re:Yeah, but how to get sleep on Poor Sleep Prevents Brain From Storing Memories · · Score: 1
  11. Re:first on Have a Wi-Fi-Enabled Phone? Stores Are Tracking You · · Score: 1

    With retailers and governments rushing to implementing facial recognition it really doesn't matter anymore. If social media taught us anything it is that our lives are too boring to worry about anyway.

  12. Re:Outsourcing Manufacturing on FAA To Investigate 787 Dreamliner · · Score: 3, Insightful

    It think it has more to do with the MBA culture that has infected businesses in the US like a cancer. The environment this creates cuts out any will to perform better than what is needed to stay employed promoting mediocrity. When this goes on long enough, good talent tends to look for a better habitat.

  13. Re:Another idiot buying into the bitcoin scam. on Online Gambling Site Bets On Bitcoin To Avoid U.S. Laws · · Score: 1

    It's not a bad idea to be prepared when a category 5 hurricane is barreling towards your city.
    The storm is dynamic and may change course or fizzle out.
    Yes, there are costs with boarding up windows, moving to safer areas, etc. This is preparation for the physical safety of yourself, family and property.
    Why not do the same when a financial storm is looming?

  14. Re:Ubiquiti Wireless on Ask Slashdot: How Do You Deploy Small Office Wi-Fi SSIDs? · · Score: 1

    This.
    Just last month I picked up a 3-pack from newegg for like $130. Install took minutes and the system automatically configured and updated firmware as I deployed the APs.
    I was considering Cisco mainly because I wanted something reliable, but couldn't get myself to buy their software and certainly didn't want to battle IOS just for a few WAPs.

    If a portion of your building needs better coverage, add another. The Unifi software will automatically detect it and with one click 'adopt' it into your existing WAP pool.
    It really doesn't get better than this.

  15. Re:Few years?! on A Wish List For Tablets In 2013 · · Score: 2

    1 mobile year = 3 earth months

  16. Re:One change on A Wish List For Tablets In 2013 · · Score: 1

    Are tablets really lacking internal space that there is no room for full sized SDCard readers and USB ports?
    This has been a long standing gripe I've had with my iPad over the years.
    Why can't there be removable panel on the back with access to SODIMMs that can upgrade the RAM and a bank of SDCard slots to upgrade the storage?
    Single full-sized USB ports aren't tall enough to make a tablet thicker either. Granted the stupid tapered edges would have to go, but I say good riddance.
    My iPad is so useless now. Every time I want to take a pic or update an app there is no storage left and no easy way to manage it without connecting it to a PC.
    If I had a bank of 6 SDCards slots I would just add another 128GB card.

  17. Re:Yay on 27 Reported Killed In Connecticut Elementary School Shooting · · Score: 1

    Guns can now be 3D printed. So just like copyright laws have stopped illegal downloads anti-weapon printing laws will be just as successful?

  18. Re:Yay on 27 Reported Killed In Connecticut Elementary School Shooting · · Score: 1

    Making guns patently illegal is simply the only option that works.

    Just like the war on drugs.

  19. Re:This on White House Must Answer Petition To 'Build Death Star' · · Score: 1

    There hasn't been a Senate in the US for 100 years.

  20. Re:Probably Would Have Been Better off in China on New Hampshire Cops Use Taser On Woman Buying Too Many iPhones · · Score: 1

    This is a customer service issue. The police should have only issued a citation for trespassing and been done with it.

  21. Re:This just in... on New Hampshire Cops Use Taser On Woman Buying Too Many iPhones · · Score: 1

    They are not required to remove anyone if nobody is in danger. She should have been written a citation for trespassing and have been done with it. If the trespass continues, cite her again. Anything beyond that is a customer service issue with the establishment she is having a dispute with.

    This is an example of the militarization of America's police force. This is our sad future.

  22. Re:Which version is preferred? on Android Rules Smartphones, But Which Version? · · Score: 1

    Motorola even went a step further and locked in updates preventing users from reverting back. The most recent minor update went out of its way to update the boot loader keys preventing all prior versions from being flashed.
    My Droid X was its best with Eclair. Each update after introduced more lag, bugs, and stability problems.
    Having owned this and the Galaxy Nexus that got borked by Verizon I'm just not excited by mobile phones anymore.
    They all suck and will likely suck for quite some time.

  23. Re:The Daily did not understand the web on News Corp's The Daily iPad App Shutting Down On December 15 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The content was interlaced with intrusive adverts that seemed to take over. In a magazine you could easily flip over the ads and even read ads that caught your eye. The Daily put them front and center in your face. People aren't used to paying for apps and being force-fed ads.
    This and the mostly homogenized content was enough for me to uninstall it.

  24. Re:good on UK Government Mandates the Teaching of Evolution As Scientific Fact · · Score: 1

    That's absurd. There's no agenda to atheism. By definition, *there's nothing to believe in*.

    The moment one professes to be an atheist, they cease being an atheist.

  25. Re:Standardized Remote Touchscreen API on The Coming Wave of In-Dash Auto System Obsolescence · · Score: 1

    Buick tried the touchscreen route in 1988 and it didn't quite work out so good. I owned a 89 Reatta and loved that car. I was fascinated by the digital dash and touch screen controls. But it wasn't very practical. Any interaction required eyes taken off of the road. There is no feeling for the volume knob, AC controls, etc. It sucked for safety.
    Tesla for some reason thinks it is a good idea. Perhaps they never actually tried driving with it.