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User: andyt

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Comments · 140

  1. Re:Visitors on The UK's Total Surveillance · · Score: 1

    or you have "Mongolian eyes"...

  2. Re:Answer is easy. on Americans Are Seriously Sick · · Score: 1

    the United States spends more on health care than any other industrialized nation

    Wait, I thought the free market and privatization was supposed to make things cheaper? While state-run systems like the British NHS were supposed to be horribly inefficient and expensive?

    Any economists care to explain what's going on here? Is the free market a failure, or is this the way it's supposed to be? Are those extortionate health costs translating into increased prosperity for America in some way?


    They are lying to you. It really is that simple.

    A business is run to make a profit. A state isn't.

  3. Re:I don't think this is such a big deal on UK MPs Approve Compulsory ID Cards · · Score: 1

    Purely out of interest, under what circumstances do you get asked to show your ID?

    (I lived on an army base in Germany for a while, so was required to possess an ID card, and the only times I got asked to show it was when entering or leaving the base. Of course, I had a lot less cause to show it then an actual resident, as I wasn't opening German bank accounts, etc. etc.)

  4. Re:ID-phobia on UK MPs Approve Compulsory ID Cards · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I have a passport. That's all I need to prove my identity. In order to open a bank account, you also have to provide a proof of address, which I find is always more of a pain to get hold of.

    Is it ID-Phobic to ask why I need an ID card, when I already have a passport?

    Is it ID-Phobic to ask what problem would be solved with ID cards, that cannot be solved with a passport?

    Is it ID-Phobic to ask who will have access to my biometric data?

    If you are a citizen of the United Kingdom, you can apply for a passport, which is considered proof of ID everywhere. (Except liquor stores in Pittsburgh,PA.. but that's another rant). If you are an asylum seeker in the UK, there is already an ID scheme in place for you. If you are visiting the UK, you already have ID issued by your country of citizenship.

    I oppose ID cards, and will continue to be so until someone can tell me why they are a good thing. The burden of proof is on those who wish to introduce something that costs umpteen billion pounds.

  5. Re:Don't mess with geeks on Jack Thompson Under Investigation · · Score: 1

    It's a bit more scary than a little can of worms

    Aww maaan.. you do not wanna open that can o' worms. Cuz you'll be all like "what's the deal, they're just these teeny tiny worms" but then you'll turn your back and Whhhoompp they'll jump on top of each other and form One Big Giant Worm!

    And will kill you with their worm-like voracity.

    Seriously dude, you do not wanna fuck with me, man. I'm the last guy you wanna be fucking with, man. I know super-secret ninja martial shit, man, I had to live underwater for a month to learn that shit.

  6. Re:Encryption on Condensing Your Life on to a USB Flash Drive? · · Score: 1

    And then how do you store the key? On a USB flashdrive?

    And what's "2 way" encryption?


    "Two way encryption" is, obviously, when you can decrypt your encrypted file.

    This is in comparison to "One way encryption", which is infinitely more secure, but rather lacking in practical usage.

    In a similar vein, "One way compression" is the most efficient way of compressing data known to man. You can compress a 20gb tar file down to 1k! Just a little hard to get it back...

    (My guess is, he's referring to a symmetric cipher, with a pass phrase. Which I suppose does make more sense than having to worry about SSL keys getting lost or corrupted.)

  7. Re:Talking to myself on U.S. Insists On Keeping Control Of Internet · · Score: 1

    Heh. Good grief, I never said anything about it being the fault of the US government, just the US. The only people equating the two are those replying to me, which is somewhat amusing. At least the mods understand me!

    And I'll have you guys know that in no way am I looking for anything as downmarket as porn. Porn? The very idea!

    What I would like to bid on, to paraphrase Mr Hicks for a second, is sheer fuckin' art.

  8. Re:Unacceptable? on U.S. Insists On Keeping Control Of Internet · · Score: 1

    Why should the rest of the world have a warm fuzzy about the US. Just because the entire world agrees with something doesn't make it right. Likewise if the US makes an unpopular move, that doesn't make us wrong.

    Heh. To be honest with you, right now I'd be happy if the US would just ask itself "Hmm.. this is an incredibly unpopular move with the rest of the world, maybe we should take a few minutes and make sure that it really is the best thing to do. Maybe, just maybe, the rest of the world might be right on this one".

    But that's a general observation of US foreign policy. In this particular case, I don't see any reason to shift control of the DNS servers.

  9. Re:Talking to myself on U.S. Insists On Keeping Control Of Internet · · Score: 3, Funny

    Really? What has the US done to hinder your online experience as a non-citizen?

    Banned me from bidding on items in the "Adults Only" section of Ebay on the grounds of my Nationality. If I was a citizen of the US I would be able to bid, but according to Ebay, because different countries have different ages of consent, I'm not eligible. I'm damn near 30.

    Now admittedly, I don't think that our representitives in Europe are lobbying for the ability of people like me to purchase artwork of the female members of the X-Men engaging in a lesbian dildofest. But I do consider myself hindered!

  10. Re:The girl in the video is cute on Super Door of the Future · · Score: 1

    A woman with a six inch tounge can kill a man six feet tall- real Japanese proverb.

    Is this another hentai thing? Japanese people are weird.

  11. Re:No, that's not how it works - here's why... on V For Vendetta Delayed until March 2006 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Alan Moore has nothing to do with the V for Vendetta movie (his choice)

    Which, lets face it, is perfectly understandable after the horrible horrible jobs done on his previous works of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and From Hell.

    I think he's pretty much given up on Hollywood now.

  12. Re:Well on A World of Warcraft World · · Score: 5, Insightful

    people here seem to be talking about killing like if they had enough money from the murder then it's okay, that seems crazy to me

    Nah, of course it isn't okay. What we're saying is, is that it is conceptually understandable.

    If you say "some guy killed another guy for stealing his imaginary sword", the immediate response is "wtf?"

    If you say "some guy killed another guy for stealing 3 grand from him", the response is more, "oh. one more murderer in this wonderful world of ours."

    You don't condone it, but you can sort of see why he might want to do it.

  13. Re:What's the big deal with ID cards? on Where is the British EFF? Just Around the Corner! · · Score: 1

    I agree. Bad modding decision.

    I think it reflects the frustration of those of us who do not support ID cards. It seems that every single time we get into a discussion about setting up pledges, organising protests, trying to get the story out about them etc. etc., we end up covering the same old ground as to why we are against them.

    Especially if the "obvious question" is framed in the context of "Why don't you want an ID card, what have you got to hide?"

    (NB: I realise that this isn't the case in relation to the OP this time, but it's a conversation that I'm sure those of us on the "nay" side have had on many occasions.)

    So yeah. Bad modding call. As Stan Lee says, "every issue is somebody's first." Just because we've had to go through the arguments many, many times, it doesn't mean that everybody has.

    Maybe we should FP each UKID slashdot story with a link to No2ID.net just to get people up to speed on the arguments.

  14. Re:Coordinated Attack on Six Bomb Blasts Around Central London · · Score: 1

    Actually the AQ profile usually avoids attacks during large events. Granted, the G8 is up in Scotland, not down in London, but 9/11, Madrid, the Cole and the embassies were all on what would have been routine days.

    All the more reason for AQ (if they are responsible) to attack now. With the G8 summit in Scotland, most of the specialised anti-terrorism squads will be out of London, providing security for the world leaders.

    This was the best time to mount a terrorist attack on London.

  15. Re:Cellphone system near breakdown on Six Bomb Blasts Around Central London · · Score: 1

    Don't blame Blair for the terrorism. Blame the terrorists, and the terrorists alone.

    True. Although one could argue that, by instigating the "War on Terror", Bush and Blair have pursued policies that have actually acted as a fantastic terrorist recruitment program.

  16. Re:Tired of America being blamed... on Six Bomb Blasts Around Central London · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Heya, a Londoner here. Thank you for your kind thoughts.

    But please realise that it is perfectly possible to like America as a country while simultaneously disagreeing vigorously with the policies of the current American government.

  17. Re:Cohabitation on The Science of Star Wars · · Score: 1

    The post used the term "rabid creationists" which cannot be taken as anything other than an insult.

    Oh sure, I'm not saying that it isn't an insult.

    But I do not believe that it is worthy of the emotionally-loaded term "bigot".

    If he had been insulting (or intolerant, thanks!) towards Christianity, that would be another matter.

  18. Re:Cohabitation on The Science of Star Wars · · Score: 1

    You are only a bigot if you are intolerant, not if you disagree.

    Heh. A fair point. Consider it noted :D

  19. Re:Cohabitation on The Science of Star Wars · · Score: 1

    However it is not a fallacy to see you are a severe bigot with your statement needing the interjection of "rabid creationist". The most ardent of creationists would argue that all species were created and so humans (or lima beans for that matter) would be the same no matter where you went.

    Maybe I've missed the point, but isn't that exactly what he said? That the rabid/ardent creationist would say that humans would be created the same no matter where in the galaxy you were, where as a proponent of evolution would suggest that the humans on both Naboo and (say) Tatooine were descended from a common ancestor?

    Oh and by the way, if you disagree with Creationism you are NOT a "bigot". If you disagree with someones race, religion, sexual orientation or gender, you are a bigot. Disagreeing with an unproven theory is not being a bigot. It's called "peer review".

  20. Re:#1 Do something original. on The Perfect Halo 3 · · Score: 1

    Serious Sam only has a "dual pistols" weapon. There's a difference between having one weapon dual and two different weapons that work independant of each other.

    My mistake, must be misremembering things. And I bow to your knowledge of all things Quake :-)

    You bring up a good point about Descent. Having seperate fire buttons for guns and missiles is a staple of most flight-sims, (random example : Wing Commander 3), is that any different from dual-wielding? Does it only count if you can see the weapons on-screen at the time?

  21. Re:#1 Do something original. on The Perfect Halo 3 · · Score: 1

    er... like double welding and having each trigger shoot each weapon?

    Aw c'mon, that's hardly original. What's the difference between a separate trigger for each weapon and two mouse buttons controlling the regular and ALT-Mode firing? Even Dark Forces did that.

    Wielding two weapons at the same time? Wasn't that already done by Serious Sam and Bloodrayne? Hell, even the original Hitman could fire two separate pistols at once.

    Not to mention the "Dual Pistols" weapon that many, many FPS have as their 3rd weapon (after "pistol" but before "shotgun").

    That's not to say that Halo 2 hasn't implemented these ideas well. As far as I can tell, it is a very polished product. But that doesn't mean it is original.

  22. Re:changes on Star Wars DVD Changes XBox Dashboard · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Everyone knows that if he just stopped making copies of the original available, he wouldn't be promoting the progress of science or useful arts, and he would lose his copyright on it.

    *blink*
    waitasecond here....

    does this mean that, since Lucas has publically stated on many occasions that he will never release the original movies again (only the Special Editions which are demonstrably not the same), then at some point in the (far, far) future, he will lose the copyright on Star Wars and it will enter the public domain?

    *ohpleaseohpleaseohplease*

  23. Re:Holding your breath... on Star Wars DVD Set Previews/Reviews · · Score: 3, Funny

    I've had my say. (as I sit back and wait for the flames about how Chewbacca would never say "RRRAAALLLLLGGG" because his dialect of Wookiese doesn't have such a term)

    Wookiese? Chewbacca, as a native Kashyyykian, speaks Shyriiwook you insensitive clod!

  24. Re:Sorry, your product is banned here. on The Swiss Army Knife of USB Drives · · Score: 1

    How long before victorinox starts selling swiss army knives without any type of blade? If they did, would they still call it a Swiss Army knive?

    Presenting ... The most pointless(!) knife in existence! AKA the Swiss Memory USB Air Travel.

    Features are :
    * Weight - 33g
    * Length - 58mm
    * Red translucent handles
    * Red LED light
    * detachable USB storage device
    * ballpoint pen
    * Supplied with USB extension cable

    Why? Seriously, just... why?

  25. Re:Why? on The Swiss Army Knife of USB Drives · · Score: 1

    And yet the damn thing STILL hasn't got a bloody corkscrew. The only reason that I still use my old crappy swiss army knock-off is for the corkscrew. For everything else, I use the Wave

    Seriously, with the latest craze for putting bit-drivers in multitools, how much work would it be to have some sort of corkscrew-bit? You would have to anchor it someway before removing the cork but c'mon! Can't be that difficult, can it?

    Instead, there is this craze of fitting more and more useless crud into a multitool.

    My opinion is this : If it won't be of use in ten years time or if it won't survive being dunked in soapy water or if it takes up so much space that a seperate unit would be more efficient then there is no point in putting it in the tool.

    That means no memory cards, no LED lights and no bloody lighters

    Otherwise, you end up with something like this monstrosity!