Goddamnit.. NONE OF YOU ARE GETTING IT. I don't give a fuck if saying 'white people problems' is a gods-be-damned meme or not, the very act of using it at all is helping to perpetuate race-related problems! Why can't you see that!? Even being a white guy and referring to yourself as 'a stupid cracker' or 'a dumb white guy' or whatever the hell you do is just continuing to perpetuate the problem! By making all of that into a joke you're just making it more acceptable to use racial slurs and I don't give a fuck if you're making racial jokes about yourself or not, it's not helping stop the problem! Be part of the solution not part of the problem, damnit! It's already an uphill battle, don't make it any worse than it already is!
I am NOT kidding around. I am gods-be-damned SICK AND TIRED of people and their stupid hate in all it's different forms! Look at what it's doing to the entire world!
IT. HAS. TO. ALL. STOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I hate you because you're black I hate you because you're white I hate you because you're Mexican I hate you because you're {insert ethnicity here} I hate you because you're Muslim I hate you because you're NOT Muslim I hate you because you're Sunni I hate you because you're Kurdish I hate you because you believe differently than I do I hate you because you believe in a God I hate you because you DON'T believe in a God I hate you because you're gay I hate you because you're straight I hate you because you're a man I hate you because you're a woman I hate you because your politics are different from mine I hate you because {insert stupid-ass reason here, because they're ALL STUPID ASS REASONS}
!!! IT HAS TO STOP!!! JUST FUCKING STOP!!!
You're a young female and you want to go to school and that offends my God, so I have the right to throw acid in your face !!! NO MORE !!! JUST STOP IT !!!
Sure. And there is no law of any kind that requires me to do business with any specific store of business, either, so one way or another I can vote my preferences with my dollars. If the grocery store I habituate decided tomorrow to start taking plastic only, I'd find somewhere else to shop on principle alone. On a related subject I'd also stop shopping anywhere that required me to have one of their 'club' discount cards, because I know damned well that the implied EULA you're agreeing to by accepting it gives them the power to specifically track your purchases for marketing purposes, and I'm firmly against that, too.
While I agree with what you're saying (these companies are creating 'solutions in search of problems', not products that actually solve existing problems), I have one serious issue with your post:
White People Problems
Regardless of whether you're a white, black, brown, or pink-and-purple-polkadot, Mister Anonymous Coward, you are a racist and therefore part of the problems here in the United States just because you put things in those terms. I'm dead serious. The Human Race in general needs to get over this sort of shit, and if you're black? You need to stop perpetuating your own racial stereotypes, and you need to stop your own anti-white racism, because all you're accomplishing is perpetuating the vicious cycle of racism all around; knock that shit off.
ALL lives matter, not just Black lives, and anyone who doesn't agree with me can GO FUCK THEMSELVES.
So does Santa Claus... So be good, for goodness sake!
So is 'Santa Claus' the code-name for the NSA, the CIA, the FBI, or some other government spy-on-citizens 'intelligence' agency? Would certainly explain a number of things.. do you work for them? XD
..but I diverge. The 'Internet of Things' serves best as an IQ test: If you buy into it, you're probably not very smart; it's a trap, and it's one you pay for to get stuck in. Ask yourselves: Do you really need an internet-connected refrigerator, microwave oven, conventional oven, toaster, dishwasher, clothes washer, clothes dryer, lightbulbs for cryin' out loud? (Yes, I have friends who have X10/Insteon home automation.. but they don't want or need it internet-enabled) Remote HVAC sensing and control, I can sort of see; but isn't a simple time-programmable thermostat more than adequate?
The fact of the matter is that not only is TFA correct, these companies visciously lock down their devices and lock consumers into their products, but when it comes right down to it, they don't give much thought to the security of the network connections of these devices, and as such are open to attack and open to malicious parties/organizations prying into your homes and lives. Has our opinion of 'privacy' been so perverted and eroded to the point where nobody even cares anymore? Or have many of us just been lulled into a false sense of security such that we can't imagine any of these companies not protecting our privacy?
OK.. so what are you doing to help bring about this voter reform that you say we so desperately need? What have you done so far? What are your plans? Who else is involved?
Sure, again, if you want to go to that much trouble (you'd have to do some blue-wiring because the chance of it being a COTS microcontroller and not an OEM version is a factor to consider), but you'd still want access to the original microcontrollers' code as a blueprint. Newer dishwashers are far from old-style units that just had an electromechanical timer-sequencer operating them, they've got temperature, conductivity, and turbidity sensors built into them, to make them as water-efficient as possible while still getting the dishes clean. Without the original code to analyze you'd have to start at square one. I think the OP just wants to add a feature or two, not do an entire development project.
Wouldn't at all be surprised if the microcontroller used in such an appliance is one-time programmable only, or is mask-programmed (do they still do that?) during manufacture of the microcontroller itself, considering the huge quantities an appliance manufacturer would buy them in, so there wouldn't be any 'reprogramming' of it. Even if it's flash-based and you could reprogram it, I also wouldn't be surprised if it's got a read protect fuse blown on it, to protect their code from being copied, and you'd need the original code to decompile and use as a template for anything else you might want it to do. Even then, what's the chance that the microcontroller in question would even have sufficient free space for any significant amounts of code to be added to it? Honestly, after all the trouble you'd go to, and with the risk of completely screwing up your dishwasher, you might want to consider just getting a better one if you're not happy with what you have now, unless you really do have that much free time on your hands and nothing better to do.
There's a lot of interesting things you can do with it if you add some analog support circuitry.
Yes, but: All I ever see is kids using it like Legos; they buy pieces and snap them together, and they think that's all there is to electronics, is snapping pre-made pieces together, which really isn't true. The same kids struggle to figure out how to light an LED without burning it up. I usually recommend to them that they at least go buy kits to assemble that will potentially teach them some basic electronics, or at least go build a crystal radio from scratch, because there's all sorts basic theory you learn even from doing that, and you get a device that does something anyone can understand that way. Some take my advice, some stubbornly stick to the incorrect notion that you can't do anything of value with less than a microcontroller.
If The People demanded campaign reform, then it'll happen, and I think it needs to happen. Elections should not be determined by who has the most money to spend; the playing field needs to be leveled, and the citizens of the U.S. have the power to force that change.
I don't tell people to STFU, usually, unless it's obvious they're just trolling for the sake of trolling (i.e. they're bored), or are one of those people who argue just for the sake of arguing (because, again, they're bored and/or feeling irrelevant, and arguing with strangers on the Internet is the only way they can feel relevant again), which is another matter entirely. I'll tell them they're being idiots if I think they're being idiots.. but that's in line with what you're saying.:-)
Honestly I think the biggest roadblock to 'adoption of broadband' right now, is the fact that the Middle Class here in the United States is disappearing, leaving only the Poor and the 'one percenters'. If that trend continues then we'll have a majority of the population scratching just to keep their heads above water, and things like Internet access at home may become a luxury they just can't justify paying for anymore. As I've said elsewhere today, things happening with the Internet in this country, are, in my opinion, just a symptom of bigger problems.
You've heard 'Soap Box, Ballot Box, Jury Box, Ammo Box' before, right? I'm not saying 'forget talking on the Internet', because the Internet is one of the 21st Century 'soap boxes' you can use, but it's just the beginning of change if change needs to happen, and as such it's relatively easily ignored; if all anyone does is yak on the Internet and they never go any further with what they purport to believe in, then it is just useless noise and garbage. When people write their elected representatives, get issues up for a vote, vote, or, if deemed necessary, protest publicly (and peacefully!) over issues or injustices, they're taking it to the next level and physically doing something about it. If everyone is playing by the rules then all of the above should start causing things to change; if not, then things, unfortunately, begin to escalate.
Sorry guys, you're not going to get your movie-style 'hoverboard' unless there is a dramatic discovery in the field of physics that enables us to create a gravitic polarizer, and if and when that happens a 'hoverboard' will be the least of it's uses, it'll revolutionize space travel and transportation in general. At the rate we're going we'll get gravity polarizers about the same time we get practical fusion power, though, so I wouldn't hold you breath. The Kzinti showing up in orbit demanding our surrender will probably happen sooner than inclusively both of those things happening.
If the 'society' you were raised and live in doesn't have Freedom of Speech to start with, then you're not even qualified to be commenting on anyone else's 'society' to start with, and you demonstrate that in one sentence by failing to recognize that the ability to be anonymous in your speech is the ultimate, most powerful expression of Freedom of Speech: The ability to say anything about anyone or anything, with no fear of reprisal. Of course with such powerful freedom there is a great potential for abuse, and we see that every single day on the Internet, but to destroy that particular freedom would be a monstrous crime.
..oh, and for the record: I don't know about whatever 3rd-world hole you live in, but here in the U.S.? You can say whatever you want and NOT be anonymous if you want, but you'd damned well better be prepared to defend your words -- but still, nobody has the right to limit what you have to say.
What may or may not be happening to the Internet is just a symptom of the bigger socio-political problems here in the U.S., and in the world in general; whoever you are, AC, take off the blinders, put on your glasses if you're that nearsighted, lift your head up, look around you, try to take in the bigger picture, and stop being satisfied with the bread and circuses that you keep being handed to keep you quiet. I won't lie, you'll hate me for making you become aware, but embrace this bit of wisdom: It's always better to know.
Are you the same guy from yesterday that was crying in his soup about how EE and programmer jobs are dead end? You sure sound like him.
'Freedom of Speech' is not completely dead in the U.S., but apathetic pieces of shit like you, who have given up and now just whine and complain and spread your piss and vinegar all over the place, if left unchecked, are what will destroy it. Despite so many of our elected representatives being brain-dead and/or corrupt, there are still people in this country who believe in it, and want to preserve and protect it and the citizens that constitute it. What we have to do is get behind them, get people to wake the hell up and stop being satisfied with the 'Bread and Circuses' they've been mollified by, and get shit straighted out. This country was founded on the concept of 'By the people, For the people', and every citizen needs to be reminded of that. It'll probably get worse before it gets better, but that doesn't mean you throw up your hands and say "Oh, well!" and give up, because this is not a game; there is no 'restart' button for it, there are no extra lives, there are no 'save points' you can reload it from, we all get one shot at this, so gods-damnit, get it right!
Remember the Four Boxes of Liberty, kids: Soap Box, Ballot Box, Jury Box, and Ammo Box; Use them in that order, but damnit, USE THEM OR LOSE THEM!
I understand exactly what you're talking about. When I was 15 years old I was designing and building expansions for the CDP1802 microprocessor trainer from the 1976 Popular Electronics article, adding a BASIC interpreter to it, extra RAM, serial interface, and fixing an old Teletype to use as a terminal and data storage device (paper tape). These days the most adventurous ones think that Arduino means they understand electronics, and meanwhile they couldn't build a crystal radio to save their lives because it's not digital -- and they think that anything with analog circuitry is not worth bothering with. Little do they know.. Meanwhile there are more and more so-called 'conveniences', which I see as just serving to make people even lazier than they already are (so-called 'self-driving' cars, for instance) and providing a disincentive to actually learn anything (or retain anything they learn). Instead of being a country full of innovators, we're becoming a 'service economy', and just garden-variety consumers. Seriously, I fear for the future.
Reading through the past 50 or so of your comments, there are some things obvious to me: You are a pseudo-libertarian whackjob. You have leanings in the direction of racism and bigotry. You are a transplant from the EU, but you don't seem to understand the history of the U.S., and you don't understand what this country is about. You seem to think that 'the law' is all there is, and that 'voting' is going to solve every single problem, which is completely and totally wrong; this country was founded on civil disobedience, it's part of our National DNA, and when Laws fail us, we have the right to protest, in order to help effect change. It's fairly obvious to me that wherever it is you came from, such things are not allowed at all, but you're in the U.S. now, and that's the way things are here. If you're a citizen, then that's part of what you signed on for; if you're just visiting, then all I can say is: if you don't like it, then go back to where you came from, otherwise hush up.
You know what? I think I have a better, much shorter way of saying what I was trying to say above:
The Internet is information. 'Information' is a noun, not a verb. Anything you 'do' on the Internet is exchanging information, and while that in and of itself is an action, it's still all just a noun. Therefore nothing that happens on the Internet is really, truly, an action.
For now, it's clear that protesting face-to-face is far more effective than gathering in a chat room
This quote from TFA says it all: what happens on the Internet is of little relative value compared to what actual people do in the Real World, because there is little to no risk involved in anything you do on the Internet,and if you protest in the Real World? You may get arrested, or even killed, depending on where in the world you are. Words on a screen don't mean a whole hell of a lot compared to actual physical action because words on a screen can be easily ignored. Oppressive governments are not overthrown with posts on an Internet forum, and no real social change occurs because 100,000 people signed an online petition, not unless the powers-that-be receiving said petition are holding themselves to a set of rules that means they're willing to take said petition seriously. The Internet gives you the illusion of making a difference; if you want to make a real difference, you have to do something in the real world; ISIS may use the Internet to radicalize people who are susceptible to being radicalized, for instance, but the rest of the world isn't going to defeat ISIS by posting in online forums or signing online petitions. That all being said: Does getting people 'talking' have any value at all? Yes, it does. But if posting on the Internet is all you ever do, and you never get out of your chair, go outside, and actually do something? Then you're just kidding yourself. The Internet is now what people sitting in a living room discussing things over drinks used to be; it's all fine-and-dandy to talk over a glass of wine about how you think the human rights abuses in some far-off country is terrible and what you think should be done about it, and a far, far different thing to actually get out of bed the next morning and go do something about it. Most people won't, they're satisfied with the illusion that signing some online petition or voicing their opinion on Reddit 'made a difference'.
OK, all the above, completely understood -- but there's a big difference between unintentional interference, and intentional interference. I worked for a defense contractor for about 7 years, 10 years ago, that had a lot of ECM contracts with the Army and the Marines. I wish I could go into detail about the technology we were using even back then (honestly, if I did, I'd be in a lot of trouble if it was traced back to me, no joke) but I know that even then, a purpose-built device could have definitely been created to at least confuse the control signal enough to effectively jam control of the drone. With today's technology it's not even a matter of 'if it can be done', it's just a matter of 'how long will it take', and the answer to that question is 'not as long as you'd think', and depending on the strategy and techniques used, usurping control could theoretically be possible, and apparently the military has a high enough confidence in the idea to fund development of it.
Screw carbon fiber. By the way I'm also still waiting for my structural aerogel racing bike frame. All the above will probably will arrive in the mail the same day my hoverboard does.:-/
Here's a suggestion for you: Instead of just saying 'hey man you're totally wrong', how about you post a link to the relevant information about the RC protocol being used?
Now, for what it's worth: I used to work for a defense contractor that did quite a bit of ECM (electronic countermeasures) work, so I know that pretty much any radio signal can be jammed, and one of the ways to do that is to spoof the actual signal itself with an off-kilter copy of the actual signal. It's not far-fetched at all that a device could be built that would commandeer a toy drone (we are talking about consumer drones here, not military drones). Less likely but possible, and it's completely within reason to be able to totally jam the signal.
Now, if you have something to add to the conversation, then great, love to hear it, but if you're just going to insult me and be rude, then don't bother, OK? It's bloody Christmas and I'm down with a cold that's trying to turn into bronchitis, and I'm just not in the mood.
Slashdot Mirror
I am NOT kidding around. I am gods-be-damned SICK AND TIRED of people and their stupid hate in all it's different forms! Look at what it's doing to the entire world!
IT.
HAS.
TO.
ALL.
STOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I hate you because you're white
I hate you because you're Mexican
I hate you because you're {insert ethnicity here}
I hate you because you're Muslim
I hate you because you're NOT Muslim
I hate you because you're Sunni
I hate you because you're Kurdish
I hate you because you believe differently than I do
I hate you because you believe in a God
I hate you because you DON'T believe in a God
I hate you because you're gay
I hate you because you're straight
I hate you because you're a man
I hate you because you're a woman
I hate you because your politics are different from mine
I hate you because {insert stupid-ass reason here, because they're ALL STUPID ASS REASONS}
!!! IT HAS TO STOP!!! JUST FUCKING STOP!!!
You're a young female and you want to go to school and that offends my God, so I have the right to throw acid in your face
!!! NO MORE !!! JUST STOP IT !!!
Sure. And there is no law of any kind that requires me to do business with any specific store of business, either, so one way or another I can vote my preferences with my dollars. If the grocery store I habituate decided tomorrow to start taking plastic only, I'd find somewhere else to shop on principle alone. On a related subject I'd also stop shopping anywhere that required me to have one of their 'club' discount cards, because I know damned well that the implied EULA you're agreeing to by accepting it gives them the power to specifically track your purchases for marketing purposes, and I'm firmly against that, too.
White People Problems
Regardless of whether you're a white, black, brown, or pink-and-purple-polkadot, Mister Anonymous Coward, you are a racist and therefore part of the problems here in the United States just because you put things in those terms. I'm dead serious. The Human Race in general needs to get over this sort of shit, and if you're black? You need to stop perpetuating your own racial stereotypes, and you need to stop your own anti-white racism, because all you're accomplishing is perpetuating the vicious cycle of racism all around; knock that shit off.
ALL lives matter, not just Black lives, and anyone who doesn't agree with me can GO FUCK THEMSELVES.
So does Santa Claus... So be good, for goodness sake!
So is 'Santa Claus' the code-name for the NSA, the CIA, the FBI, or some other government spy-on-citizens 'intelligence' agency? Would certainly explain a number of things.. do you work for them? XD
..but I diverge.
The 'Internet of Things' serves best as an IQ test: If you buy into it, you're probably not very smart; it's a trap, and it's one you pay for to get stuck in. Ask yourselves: Do you really need an internet-connected refrigerator, microwave oven, conventional oven, toaster, dishwasher, clothes washer, clothes dryer, lightbulbs for cryin' out loud? (Yes, I have friends who have X10/Insteon home automation.. but they don't want or need it internet-enabled) Remote HVAC sensing and control, I can sort of see; but isn't a simple time-programmable thermostat more than adequate?
The fact of the matter is that not only is TFA correct, these companies visciously lock down their devices and lock consumers into their products, but when it comes right down to it, they don't give much thought to the security of the network connections of these devices, and as such are open to attack and open to malicious parties/organizations prying into your homes and lives. Has our opinion of 'privacy' been so perverted and eroded to the point where nobody even cares anymore? Or have many of us just been lulled into a false sense of security such that we can't imagine any of these companies not protecting our privacy?
Nothing... You?
OK.. so what are you doing to help bring about this voter reform that you say we so desperately need? What have you done so far? What are your plans? Who else is involved?
We need voter reform..
Then what are you waiting for?
Sure, again, if you want to go to that much trouble (you'd have to do some blue-wiring because the chance of it being a COTS microcontroller and not an OEM version is a factor to consider), but you'd still want access to the original microcontrollers' code as a blueprint. Newer dishwashers are far from old-style units that just had an electromechanical timer-sequencer operating them, they've got temperature, conductivity, and turbidity sensors built into them, to make them as water-efficient as possible while still getting the dishes clean. Without the original code to analyze you'd have to start at square one. I think the OP just wants to add a feature or two, not do an entire development project.
Wouldn't at all be surprised if the microcontroller used in such an appliance is one-time programmable only, or is mask-programmed (do they still do that?) during manufacture of the microcontroller itself, considering the huge quantities an appliance manufacturer would buy them in, so there wouldn't be any 'reprogramming' of it. Even if it's flash-based and you could reprogram it, I also wouldn't be surprised if it's got a read protect fuse blown on it, to protect their code from being copied, and you'd need the original code to decompile and use as a template for anything else you might want it to do. Even then, what's the chance that the microcontroller in question would even have sufficient free space for any significant amounts of code to be added to it? Honestly, after all the trouble you'd go to, and with the risk of completely screwing up your dishwasher, you might want to consider just getting a better one if you're not happy with what you have now, unless you really do have that much free time on your hands and nothing better to do.
There's a lot of interesting things you can do with it if you add some analog support circuitry.
Yes, but: All I ever see is kids using it like Legos; they buy pieces and snap them together, and they think that's all there is to electronics, is snapping pre-made pieces together, which really isn't true. The same kids struggle to figure out how to light an LED without burning it up. I usually recommend to them that they at least go buy kits to assemble that will potentially teach them some basic electronics, or at least go build a crystal radio from scratch, because there's all sorts basic theory you learn even from doing that, and you get a device that does something anyone can understand that way. Some take my advice, some stubbornly stick to the incorrect notion that you can't do anything of value with less than a microcontroller.
If The People demanded campaign reform, then it'll happen, and I think it needs to happen. Elections should not be determined by who has the most money to spend; the playing field needs to be leveled, and the citizens of the U.S. have the power to force that change.
I agree with you.
:-)
I don't tell people to STFU, usually, unless it's obvious they're just trolling for the sake of trolling (i.e. they're bored), or are one of those people who argue just for the sake of arguing (because, again, they're bored and/or feeling irrelevant, and arguing with strangers on the Internet is the only way they can feel relevant again), which is another matter entirely. I'll tell them they're being idiots if I think they're being idiots.. but that's in line with what you're saying.
Honestly I think the biggest roadblock to 'adoption of broadband' right now, is the fact that the Middle Class here in the United States is disappearing, leaving only the Poor and the 'one percenters'. If that trend continues then we'll have a majority of the population scratching just to keep their heads above water, and things like Internet access at home may become a luxury they just can't justify paying for anymore. As I've said elsewhere today, things happening with the Internet in this country, are, in my opinion, just a symptom of bigger problems.
You've heard 'Soap Box, Ballot Box, Jury Box, Ammo Box' before, right? I'm not saying 'forget talking on the Internet', because the Internet is one of the 21st Century 'soap boxes' you can use, but it's just the beginning of change if change needs to happen, and as such it's relatively easily ignored; if all anyone does is yak on the Internet and they never go any further with what they purport to believe in, then it is just useless noise and garbage. When people write their elected representatives, get issues up for a vote, vote, or, if deemed necessary, protest publicly (and peacefully!) over issues or injustices, they're taking it to the next level and physically doing something about it. If everyone is playing by the rules then all of the above should start causing things to change; if not, then things, unfortunately, begin to escalate.
Sorry guys, you're not going to get your movie-style 'hoverboard' unless there is a dramatic discovery in the field of physics that enables us to create a gravitic polarizer, and if and when that happens a 'hoverboard' will be the least of it's uses, it'll revolutionize space travel and transportation in general. At the rate we're going we'll get gravity polarizers about the same time we get practical fusion power, though, so I wouldn't hold you breath. The Kzinti showing up in orbit demanding our surrender will probably happen sooner than inclusively both of those things happening.
If the 'society' you were raised and live in doesn't have Freedom of Speech to start with, then you're not even qualified to be commenting on anyone else's 'society' to start with, and you demonstrate that in one sentence by failing to recognize that the ability to be anonymous in your speech is the ultimate, most powerful expression of Freedom of Speech: The ability to say anything about anyone or anything, with no fear of reprisal. Of course with such powerful freedom there is a great potential for abuse, and we see that every single day on the Internet, but to destroy that particular freedom would be a monstrous crime.
..oh, and for the record: I don't know about whatever 3rd-world hole you live in, but here in the U.S.? You can say whatever you want and NOT be anonymous if you want, but you'd damned well better be prepared to defend your words -- but still, nobody has the right to limit what you have to say.
Absolute fucking bullshit! The people have failed the government by letting it rot and not speaking up.
Hear, hear! Someone mod this person up, +1, Truth .
Government By the People, For the People .
The next big thing will get invented soon.
What may or may not be happening to the Internet is just a symptom of the bigger socio-political problems here in the U.S., and in the world in general; whoever you are, AC, take off the blinders, put on your glasses if you're that nearsighted, lift your head up, look around you, try to take in the bigger picture, and stop being satisfied with the bread and circuses that you keep being handed to keep you quiet. I won't lie, you'll hate me for making you become aware, but embrace this bit of wisdom: It's always better to know.
Are you the same guy from yesterday that was crying in his soup about how EE and programmer jobs are dead end? You sure sound like him.
'Freedom of Speech' is not completely dead in the U.S., but apathetic pieces of shit like you, who have given up and now just whine and complain and spread your piss and vinegar all over the place, if left unchecked, are what will destroy it. Despite so many of our elected representatives being brain-dead and/or corrupt, there are still people in this country who believe in it, and want to preserve and protect it and the citizens that constitute it. What we have to do is get behind them, get people to wake the hell up and stop being satisfied with the 'Bread and Circuses' they've been mollified by, and get shit straighted out. This country was founded on the concept of 'By the people, For the people', and every citizen needs to be reminded of that. It'll probably get worse before it gets better, but that doesn't mean you throw up your hands and say "Oh, well!" and give up, because this is not a game; there is no 'restart' button for it, there are no extra lives, there are no 'save points' you can reload it from, we all get one shot at this, so gods-damnit, get it right!
Remember the Four Boxes of Liberty, kids: Soap Box, Ballot Box, Jury Box, and Ammo Box; Use them in that order, but damnit, USE THEM OR LOSE THEM!
I understand exactly what you're talking about. When I was 15 years old I was designing and building expansions for the CDP1802 microprocessor trainer from the 1976 Popular Electronics article, adding a BASIC interpreter to it, extra RAM, serial interface, and fixing an old Teletype to use as a terminal and data storage device (paper tape). These days the most adventurous ones think that Arduino means they understand electronics, and meanwhile they couldn't build a crystal radio to save their lives because it's not digital -- and they think that anything with analog circuitry is not worth bothering with. Little do they know.. Meanwhile there are more and more so-called 'conveniences', which I see as just serving to make people even lazier than they already are (so-called 'self-driving' cars, for instance) and providing a disincentive to actually learn anything (or retain anything they learn). Instead of being a country full of innovators, we're becoming a 'service economy', and just garden-variety consumers. Seriously, I fear for the future.
Reading through the past 50 or so of your comments, there are some things obvious to me: You are a pseudo-libertarian whackjob. You have leanings in the direction of racism and bigotry. You are a transplant from the EU, but you don't seem to understand the history of the U.S., and you don't understand what this country is about. You seem to think that 'the law' is all there is, and that 'voting' is going to solve every single problem, which is completely and totally wrong; this country was founded on civil disobedience, it's part of our National DNA, and when Laws fail us, we have the right to protest, in order to help effect change. It's fairly obvious to me that wherever it is you came from, such things are not allowed at all, but you're in the U.S. now, and that's the way things are here. If you're a citizen, then that's part of what you signed on for; if you're just visiting, then all I can say is: if you don't like it, then go back to where you came from, otherwise hush up.
You know what? I think I have a better, much shorter way of saying what I was trying to say above:
The Internet is information. 'Information' is a noun, not a verb. Anything you 'do' on the Internet is exchanging information, and while that in and of itself is an action, it's still all just a noun. Therefore nothing that happens on the Internet is really, truly, an action.
For now, it's clear that protesting face-to-face is far more effective than gathering in a chat room
This quote from TFA says it all: what happens on the Internet is of little relative value compared to what actual people do in the Real World, because there is little to no risk involved in anything you do on the Internet,and if you protest in the Real World? You may get arrested, or even killed, depending on where in the world you are. Words on a screen don't mean a whole hell of a lot compared to actual physical action because words on a screen can be easily ignored. Oppressive governments are not overthrown with posts on an Internet forum, and no real social change occurs because 100,000 people signed an online petition, not unless the powers-that-be receiving said petition are holding themselves to a set of rules that means they're willing to take said petition seriously. The Internet gives you the illusion of making a difference; if you want to make a real difference, you have to do something in the real world; ISIS may use the Internet to radicalize people who are susceptible to being radicalized, for instance, but the rest of the world isn't going to defeat ISIS by posting in online forums or signing online petitions. That all being said: Does getting people 'talking' have any value at all? Yes, it does. But if posting on the Internet is all you ever do, and you never get out of your chair, go outside, and actually do something? Then you're just kidding yourself. The Internet is now what people sitting in a living room discussing things over drinks used to be; it's all fine-and-dandy to talk over a glass of wine about how you think the human rights abuses in some far-off country is terrible and what you think should be done about it, and a far, far different thing to actually get out of bed the next morning and go do something about it. Most people won't, they're satisfied with the illusion that signing some online petition or voicing their opinion on Reddit 'made a difference'.
OK, all the above, completely understood -- but there's a big difference between unintentional interference, and intentional interference. I worked for a defense contractor for about 7 years, 10 years ago, that had a lot of ECM contracts with the Army and the Marines. I wish I could go into detail about the technology we were using even back then (honestly, if I did, I'd be in a lot of trouble if it was traced back to me, no joke) but I know that even then, a purpose-built device could have definitely been created to at least confuse the control signal enough to effectively jam control of the drone. With today's technology it's not even a matter of 'if it can be done', it's just a matter of 'how long will it take', and the answer to that question is 'not as long as you'd think', and depending on the strategy and techniques used, usurping control could theoretically be possible, and apparently the military has a high enough confidence in the idea to fund development of it.
Screw carbon fiber. By the way I'm also still waiting for my structural aerogel racing bike frame. All the above will probably will arrive in the mail the same day my hoverboard does. :-/
Here's a suggestion for you: Instead of just saying 'hey man you're totally wrong', how about you post a link to the relevant information about the RC protocol being used?
Now, for what it's worth: I used to work for a defense contractor that did quite a bit of ECM (electronic countermeasures) work, so I know that pretty much any radio signal can be jammed, and one of the ways to do that is to spoof the actual signal itself with an off-kilter copy of the actual signal. It's not far-fetched at all that a device could be built that would commandeer a toy drone (we are talking about consumer drones here, not military drones). Less likely but possible, and it's completely within reason to be able to totally jam the signal.
Now, if you have something to add to the conversation, then great, love to hear it, but if you're just going to insult me and be rude, then don't bother, OK? It's bloody Christmas and I'm down with a cold that's trying to turn into bronchitis, and I'm just not in the mood.
he thinks that laws of physics become obsolete
lol probably couldnt lite an led without blowing it up