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User: Sly+Mongoose

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Comments · 204

  1. Rocheworld on Voltron-Like Modular Robot Demonstrated · · Score: 1

    Shades of Robert Forward's Christmas Bush.

  2. Ignoble Award Nominee on Depressed Hamsters Help Researchers · · Score: 2, Funny

    A depressed hamster is suffering from a condition known as SAD? Shoot him full of speed and throw him in the river and he makes like a furry outboard engine?

    I nominate thhe discoverers of these critical scientific facts for an award.....

  3. Two by 1200x1600? on Time Saving Linux Desktop Tips? · · Score: 1

    I tried that once. The machine was called 'zaphod'.

    My recommendation would be to buy another monitor and go triple-headed.

    I've been very happy with 'triphod' for the last three years..... ;-)

  4. Snake-walk! on Microchips for Dangerous Animals? · · Score: 1
    Did you know that it is actually possible to take your pet snake for a 'walk'?
    I always have difficulty fastening the collar on my pet fer-de-lance.....
  5. Re:PayPal isn't a bank, so it's not perfectly safe on PayPal Freezes Hurricane Relief Account · · Score: 1
    Hook, line, sinker...

    I think that's exactly how you fell for Ex-con's brand of dead-pan humour. Hope you enjoy that sub. to Field'n'Stream...
  6. Re:weeeelll, not everywhere... on Google Maps Now Cover Whole World · · Score: 1

    We could not understand the location barbados

  7. Re:10 cent web-design tool next on Hard Drive Cooling for 10 Cents · · Score: 1

    1) Having broadband doesn't justify using three times the bandwidth you need to.

    2) Everybody doesn't have broadband as an option.

  8. 10 cent web-design tool next on Hard Drive Cooling for 10 Cents · · Score: 1

    I hate when people make you download a 972x914 pixel, 129703-byte image, then hit it with width=400 height=376 attributes in the tag. Reducing the image itself would have reduced the size by about 2/3rds.

    Grrrr!

  9. How romantic! on WiMax Hits 100 mph on Rails to Brighton · · Score: 1

    Setting off on a Dirty Weekend with your WiMax hardware for company.....

  10. Re:Not surprising on United Kingdom Leads the World in TV Downloads · · Score: 1
    but we do have doctor who!!!
    Who?
  11. Oh well... on Software Firms Lobby for Stronger Copyright Laws · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Internet Service Providers (ISPs) should be required to reveal the names of customers who may be distributing illegal wares on peer-to-peer networks.
    There goes 'presumption of innocence.'

    Again.
  12. Why truncate? on ICANN Approves Two More Top-Level Domains · · Score: 1

    What's wrong with .mobile instead of .mobi I wonder? (Assuming we need such a TLD at all.) Reminds me of old DOS 8.3 days when you couldn't say filename.text without the OS falling down dead!

    .mobi is almost as juvenile as .biz , a TLD that no self-respecting business with any class would dream of using. (It is very useful in SPAM-filters, tho, along with .info and .ws ...)

  13. Re:A much cheaper/simpler way to do this is... on Windows CE R/C Transmitter · · Score: 1
    If Futaba had half a clue and were more interested in providing a functional cost-effective solution than a "gee whiz!" box of tricks, they'd have separated the fancy LCD screen and WinCE bits from the transmitter itself.
    You're absolutely right.

    The complex configuration needs to be offloaded to a PC, perhaps using some graphical tool to connect and adjust mixers and hook them together with inputs (sticks, switches, timers, etc) and outputs (servos, LCD, speaker, etc). Only minor in-the-field tweaking needs to be done on the transmitter itself.

    But so far, this is as close as they've come to a really sophisticated system. Hopefully, this is the start of something good in R/C transmitter design...
  14. Re:Crashing... on Windows CE R/C Transmitter · · Score: 1
    The R/C gliders can stay up [...] say 10-45 minutes.
    I've personally flown a sloper vigorously (lots of servo motion) for 2 hours 15 minutes at a stretch. Had to land because my hands were beginning to ache. 300mAh NiCd on-board....
  15. Damn! on Windows CE R/C Transmitter · · Score: 1

    I'd really like something sophisticated to replace my 8U, but the idea of trusting my Fokker to Windows makes my skin crawl!

  16. Triple-head better! on A Dual Monitor Experiment · · Score: 1

    I upgraded my dual-head machine (zaphod) to triple-head over two years ago (now triphod). I wouldn't do with less than my three by 19" monitors now. I'd like to add more monitors!

    Check it out Here. (Raaalph is the Windows box on the right,,,)

    Slackware and KDE.

  17. PC Speak? on Review: Juvenile Felis Catus · · Score: 1
    Upstanding individuals who don't desex their cats...

    "Desex?" Is that a politically correct euphemism for "cut their balls off?"
  18. Shit... on Batman Begins Trailer Online · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    Now Batman drives an SUV. Like every other asshole in NA... :-(

  19. Re:Throttling on OptInRealBig Wins Restraining Order On SpamCop · · Score: 1

    To respond to some arguments against:

    1) Spammers will use a multi-threaded mailer. Yes, but they can only open so many TCP connections. If each one gets throttled, their overall throughput will still be affected. And they can use a multi-threaded mailer whether you throttle them or not.

    2) Spammers will use a few thousand compromised machines out there to send spam for them. This will no longer be possible when the world wises up and stops using Windows. :)

    3) Looking out for "vi@gara" will not be effective. The specifics of the filtering will obviously have to be more sophisticated than anyone can detail here. A combination of black- and white-lists, RBL, bayesian filtering, etc, could be utilized. An on-the-fly SPAMness rating computed and used to control the degree of throttling. Filtering could be even more draconian than we currently use because there is no "false-positive" downside. Lots of people use filters of this sort now. But it hides spam at the end instead of eliminating it at the beginning. It's all the millions of people who don't filter spam and who respond to it instead, that keeps these people in business. If throttling happened at the mail server, a much smaller number of spam would actually get onto the net in the first place. And Joe Average User couldn't complain that his mail was being blocked without his consent, because all mail sent would be received (albeit after a few minutes delay).

    4) Mailing lists. So whitelist the mailing list, which reduces SPAMness, and the throttling problem goes away for legitimate bulk mailers.

    5) Hard for the mailer to throttle the network connection. I thought Linus, Alan Cox and the rest of the gang could do anything?

    Throttling might not be the ideal solution but passing laws that spammers can ignore or trying to educate the clueless masses are not workable solutions. And throttling does not require adoption of any new protocols or compromise of anyone's privacy, nor the introduction of an annoying fee structure of some sort.

    But hey -- it's just an idea. I ain't rich, so don't feel you have to listen to me!

  20. Throttling on OptInRealBig Wins Restraining Order On SpamCop · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The only way to eliminate SPAM is to make it unprofitable. Since the world is full of fools, we can't count on them to just not respond to SPAM so we need to reduce the numbers of SPAM messages sent by the spammers.

    We need some sort of real-time, content-driven connection throttling on the mail servers of the world, so as to reduce the number of SPAM that can be sent in any given time. The inbound mail can be analysed on-the-fly and if the word pen1s or vi@gara is detected, throttle the connection so that mail takes 60 seconds to send.

    Throttling will only affect mass mailings. Who cares if their legitimate mail about V.I.C.O.D.I.N is delayed by 60 seconds? And there will be no false-positive difficulties because all mail will eventually get delivered. But bulk-mailers will discover that they can send far fewer SPAM in a day, which drops their response rate and their profitability. Hopefully to the point where they can't sustain their business any more.

  21. CVS won't compile either on Scribus 1.1.6 Reviewed · · Score: 1

    scfonts_ttf.cpp: In member function `virtual bool Foi_ttf::ReadMetrics()':
    scfonts_ttf.cpp:86: `FT_GLYPH_FORMAT_PLOTTER' undeclared (first use this
    function)
    scfonts_ttf.cpp:86: (Each undeclared identifier is reported only once for each
    function it appears in.)
    make[3]: *** [scfonts_ttf.o] Error 1
    make[3]: Leaving directory `/home/self/Scribus/scribus'
    make[2]: *** [all-recursive] Error 1
    make[2]: Leaving directory `/home/self/Scribus/scribus'
    make[1]: *** [all-recursive] Error 1
    make[1]: Leaving directory `/home/self/Scribus'
    make: *** [all] Error 2

    <sigh>

  22. Won't compile on Scribus 1.1.6 Reviewed · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    page.cpp: In member function `void Page::LoadPict(QString, int)':
    page.cpp:8599: `unlink' undeclared (first use this function)
    page.cpp:8599: (Each undeclared identifier is reported only once for each
    function it appears in.)
    make[3]: *** [page.o] Error 1
    make[3]: Leaving directory `/home/self/scribus-1.1.6/scribus'
    make[2]: *** [all-recursive] Error 1
    make[2]: Leaving directory `/home/self/scribus-1.1.6/scribus'
    make[1]: *** [all-recursive] Error 1
    make[1]: Leaving directory `/home/self/scribus-1.1.6'
    make: *** [all] Error 2

  23. Re:Covert Messages on Hidden Messages in Spam · · Score: 1
    "Tight spots" need to be resolved in days (if not hours)...
    So they would have to print an article in a newspaper instead of a paperback novel.
  24. Re:Steganography on Hidden Messages in Spam · · Score: 2, Funny
    In regular email, just the fact a PGP encrypted message was sent by Alice to Bob would tip the authorities off that Alice and Bob were at least communicating; if they are both criminals for instance...
    Wot choo talkin' 'bout, Loois?

    Just the fact Alice sent a PGP encrypted message to Bob defines them both as criminals. At least, in the USA it does. Britain too, I think...
  25. We need one. Or eleven. on Little Robots Play Soccer · · Score: 2, Funny

    The West Indies need some of these robots, providing they can be taught to play cricket. In fact, we would benefit from them even if they can't be taught to play cricket! As it stands, my dog would make a grand addition to the team, because he can catch the ball. OK, he can't bat worth shit, but neither can any of the current team members...