How did you manage to respond to everything except my main point?
Yes, I'm aware you were responding generally - that's why I referred to it as a generalization - and I'm aware of what a standard deviation is and what they represent given various populations. What I asked for was a specific citation and what, if any, specific data points or ranges you were attempting to speak for.
What I was not looking for was a hardcore statistical analysis. What I was looking for was a citation that would point me in the direction of one, so that I could figure out how to interpret your figures. I don't know your assumptions or where half the numbers come from, and it's going to take more than a simple google search to figure those out. I'm not looking to nit pick here: I'm just trying to figure out what the hell you're referring to in a post that's mostly mathematical.
Pulling numbers and averages out of the air is a wonderful generalization: I'm glad it helps you sleep nights, but your numbers don't mean anything without context and I can think of plenty of cases where these don't apply.
Which bachelor's degrees/sectors/sources are you referring to?
Windows 7 IS a worthy upgrade from XP - certainly from the security point of view.
Windows 7, which contains a glaring accessibility backdoor like its predecessors? That Windows 7?
I have helped people with transitions from XP/Vista to 7 and found an almost unanimous praise for it. Given the choice, people preferred 7 for reasons of aesthetics, functionality and robustness.
Let's not confuse looking prettier than XP or Vista for a recommendation. I'd switch business computers to Mint if that were the key factor.
The longer the Linux crowd believes that Microsoft can not make decent quality (once in a while at least), the longer they'll fail to make any changes which might someday resolve the issues that push people away from Linux.
That's a red herring.
First off, Microsoft makes terrible software as a rule. Given enough attempts, any company can make (and/or steal) something at least remotely popular. Even and especially if it is manned by a bunch of monkeys with typewriters. And while I'd agree that 7 has some improvements and isn't as ill-conceived as Vista, it's honestly less use to me than XP. I'm not about to jump on another version of Windows to try to improve security over prior versions: that's what virtually every other operating system on the planet is for. So the security has a few improvements, just like every other version ever released. Big screaming deal.
Second, the issues that push people away from Linux have everything to do with growing pains, infighting, usability, and a focus on making something that isn't aimed at the utter moron demographic. A substantial portion of what keeps the masses away from Linux is an asset, not a liability. Let us not forget that the ideology and culture surrounding Linux lend themselves to patching known security holes first and drawing shiny buttons last.
As an additional point, certain forms of meat are fantastic; specific types of fat in general tend to be higher in nutrients and less likely to clog arteries. Chorizo, for example, is stuff most people would never want in a steak and very rich in some of the best kinds of fats. That doesn't mean it isn't one of the best things you can be eating (especially after a night of drinking).
McDonald's isn't lousy for you because there's meat in it; it's lousy because of all the meat that isn't in it.
Let's have a look at the simplest. How exactly is not dragging suspicious emails out of your spam folder and opening their attachments an impossible option?
I don't recall any indication of or basis for a reasonable inference that the Excel file was posed as an internal document. All the article said was that it was intriguing enough for someone to pull it out of the spam folder. General practice in internal IT and network administration is to whitelist internal emails and toss anything suspicious into spam, if not blacklist it entirely.
Again, I'm not a fan of using Google Docs, but I'd much rather let their servers clobber a zero-day than let it in through the front door. I see emails I occasionally think are intriguing, too; that doesn't mean they're from Bob in marketing or that I should open their attachments using the very applications they are designed to target.
Don't open anything flagged as spam until you've read the full headers?
Don't use Excel as your first option when reading e-mail attachments?
Run off of a read-only file system?
Convert every excel file to CSV before opening?
View using Google Docs or one of its clones? (Not that I advocate using Google's tools in general...)
Open nonessentials on a different computer with restrictive security settings?
Don't use Windows?
The possibilities are endless.
Realistically, it's not possible to stop an attacker who's willing to invest serious time and approach in a smart manner. It is, however, possible to avoid being the person in the organization who lets them in. Someone will fall for it, given enough time and a large enough company, and once they have access they won't be interested in tricking you anymore.
Because it isn't at all possible that they managed to reach a support person using the standard "whatever it is, it's a feature that somehow helps you" misdirect to try to end the phone conversation in record time.
Sure, the article was poorly researched to begin with, but that part wasn't necessarily bogus. It's fallacious to assume that because some of the story was factually inaccurate, the entirety of the story is factually inaccurate. Not that I put any kind of stock in such a citation; however, it is increasingly common even among more reputable news outlets to make generic citations rather than relaying more useful details.
I don't know that I'd equate popular with interesting. I mean, I don't pay attention to what Sarah Palin says because I think she's got a really intriguing perspective.
I jumped from the new AT&T to T-Mobile precisely because it stifled innovation and was more interested in locking down systems than providing any kind of useful service. They're seriously the only telco I've ever come across that couldn't reverse their own admitted mistake on an account.
...and now my only reasonable option for a much-needed upgrade is the G2X, because if AT&T is allowed to eat T-Mobile, not only will I be stuck having to opt out of what was a great contract, I'll have to use the only phone in the lineup that would actually function on the network once they've dismantled it.
Hell, AT&T can't even figure out how to get Amazon's Appstore to function on their network due to their policy of locking everything until forced to do otherwise. It's Ma Bell all over again, but without the benefits. Blocking the merger shouldn't even be a question of "if". As it is, AT&T is essentially a re-assembled zombie under more obnoxious management. Does anyone actually believe they would wield newfound and wholly unfettered power with any measure of responsibility?
The most important things to the aspiring intern - at least in my experience - are punctuality and visible diligence.
Sucking up to the boss can work. It's not the only road, and perhaps not even the best road, but it's important to note a few other things as well before you ignore a high-powered job so you can flip burgers because you think the boss is more competent. Bosses come and go, and I've made my mistakes. I've ingratiated myself to my boss, only to have him leave the next month, and I've taken a position beneath my abilities and experience because I thought the boss was an all-star only to have her give her two weeks notice, leaving me without *any* boss and therefore without any opportunity to advance or stay on past the end of my contract. As an additional note, flipping burgers is a great way to get no respect from anyone while you waste away on a substandard salary.
Take the job if you want it. Not just because of a boss, or a location, or a salary range, or even what you think you want to do. These are all factors, and should be considered in tandem. In the event that you wind up with a lousy boss, by all means make the best of it and find the next opportunity to transfer to a different department or hop to another company. But if you love everything else about the job, don't let a boss like that keep you from where you want to be. You're going to have to learn to deal with pricks someday, and if you learn how early on you'll be ahead of the game.
Slashdot Mirror
No, the cheap knockoffs will be from India too.
Just goes to show that slime pays.
*facedesk*
How did you manage to respond to everything except my main point?
Yes, I'm aware you were responding generally - that's why I referred to it as a generalization - and I'm aware of what a standard deviation is and what they represent given various populations. What I asked for was a specific citation and what, if any, specific data points or ranges you were attempting to speak for.
What I was not looking for was a hardcore statistical analysis. What I was looking for was a citation that would point me in the direction of one, so that I could figure out how to interpret your figures. I don't know your assumptions or where half the numbers come from, and it's going to take more than a simple google search to figure those out. I'm not looking to nit pick here: I'm just trying to figure out what the hell you're referring to in a post that's mostly mathematical.
Pulling numbers and averages out of the air is a wonderful generalization: I'm glad it helps you sleep nights, but your numbers don't mean anything without context and I can think of plenty of cases where these don't apply.
Which bachelor's degrees/sectors/sources are you referring to?
Windows 7 IS a worthy upgrade from XP - certainly from the security point of view.
Windows 7, which contains a glaring accessibility backdoor like its predecessors? That Windows 7?
I have helped people with transitions from XP/Vista to 7 and found an almost unanimous praise for it. Given the choice, people preferred 7 for reasons of aesthetics, functionality and robustness.
Let's not confuse looking prettier than XP or Vista for a recommendation. I'd switch business computers to Mint if that were the key factor.
The longer the Linux crowd believes that Microsoft can not make decent quality (once in a while at least), the longer they'll fail to make any changes which might someday resolve the issues that push people away from Linux.
That's a red herring.
First off, Microsoft makes terrible software as a rule. Given enough attempts, any company can make (and/or steal) something at least remotely popular. Even and especially if it is manned by a bunch of monkeys with typewriters. And while I'd agree that 7 has some improvements and isn't as ill-conceived as Vista, it's honestly less use to me than XP. I'm not about to jump on another version of Windows to try to improve security over prior versions: that's what virtually every other operating system on the planet is for. So the security has a few improvements, just like every other version ever released. Big screaming deal.
Second, the issues that push people away from Linux have everything to do with growing pains, infighting, usability, and a focus on making something that isn't aimed at the utter moron demographic. A substantial portion of what keeps the masses away from Linux is an asset, not a liability. Let us not forget that the ideology and culture surrounding Linux lend themselves to patching known security holes first and drawing shiny buttons last.
Don't forget an annual surcharge for having good genes!
As an additional point, certain forms of meat are fantastic; specific types of fat in general tend to be higher in nutrients and less likely to clog arteries. Chorizo, for example, is stuff most people would never want in a steak and very rich in some of the best kinds of fats. That doesn't mean it isn't one of the best things you can be eating (especially after a night of drinking). McDonald's isn't lousy for you because there's meat in it; it's lousy because of all the meat that isn't in it.
Google Docs does not support Flash content. That's kind of the point.
Let's have a look at the simplest. How exactly is not dragging suspicious emails out of your spam folder and opening their attachments an impossible option?
I don't recall any indication of or basis for a reasonable inference that the Excel file was posed as an internal document. All the article said was that it was intriguing enough for someone to pull it out of the spam folder. General practice in internal IT and network administration is to whitelist internal emails and toss anything suspicious into spam, if not blacklist it entirely.
Again, I'm not a fan of using Google Docs, but I'd much rather let their servers clobber a zero-day than let it in through the front door. I see emails I occasionally think are intriguing, too; that doesn't mean they're from Bob in marketing or that I should open their attachments using the very applications they are designed to target.
I'm just waiting for someone to build a slingshot that chucks crowbars.
Jerry! Jerry!
Don't open anything flagged as spam until you've read the full headers?
Don't use Excel as your first option when reading e-mail attachments?
Run off of a read-only file system?
Convert every excel file to CSV before opening?
View using Google Docs or one of its clones? (Not that I advocate using Google's tools in general...)
Open nonessentials on a different computer with restrictive security settings? Don't use Windows?
The possibilities are endless.
Realistically, it's not possible to stop an attacker who's willing to invest serious time and approach in a smart manner. It is, however, possible to avoid being the person in the organization who lets them in. Someone will fall for it, given enough time and a large enough company, and once they have access they won't be interested in tricking you anymore.
Quick, everyone mod up the above poster as anything but insightful. =P
It would work again, but in order to pull that off Slashdot would have to make it pink for, say, 10 percent of users.
Re: "WOOO YEAH PONIES!"
Re: "What the hell are you talking about? I don't see any ponies"
Because it isn't at all possible that they managed to reach a support person using the standard "whatever it is, it's a feature that somehow helps you" misdirect to try to end the phone conversation in record time. Sure, the article was poorly researched to begin with, but that part wasn't necessarily bogus. It's fallacious to assume that because some of the story was factually inaccurate, the entirety of the story is factually inaccurate. Not that I put any kind of stock in such a citation; however, it is increasingly common even among more reputable news outlets to make generic citations rather than relaying more useful details.
Good sir, are you implying that one or more people actually uses Bing rather than going straight to the middleman?
I don't know that I'd equate popular with interesting. I mean, I don't pay attention to what Sarah Palin says because I think she's got a really intriguing perspective.
I jumped from the new AT&T to T-Mobile precisely because it stifled innovation and was more interested in locking down systems than providing any kind of useful service. They're seriously the only telco I've ever come across that couldn't reverse their own admitted mistake on an account.
...and now my only reasonable option for a much-needed upgrade is the G2X, because if AT&T is allowed to eat T-Mobile, not only will I be stuck having to opt out of what was a great contract, I'll have to use the only phone in the lineup that would actually function on the network once they've dismantled it.
Hell, AT&T can't even figure out how to get Amazon's Appstore to function on their network due to their policy of locking everything until forced to do otherwise. It's Ma Bell all over again, but without the benefits. Blocking the merger shouldn't even be a question of "if". As it is, AT&T is essentially a re-assembled zombie under more obnoxious management. Does anyone actually believe they would wield newfound and wholly unfettered power with any measure of responsibility?
And leeching off your electric bill for as many years as it takes you to find the bugs.
According to k0nane, it's on the Evo as well. Thanks for calling attention to the presence of CarrierIQ on LG.
Source: http://forum.androidcentral.com/lg-optimus-s-rooting-roms-hacks/64914-carrier-iq-4.html
Correction: his first smart business decision was to partner with Gates. His second was to deride him publicly in a book about it.
Who needs a public image when you have gross mishandling to blame? To the yacht races!
The most important things to the aspiring intern - at least in my experience - are punctuality and visible diligence.
Sucking up to the boss can work. It's not the only road, and perhaps not even the best road, but it's important to note a few other things as well before you ignore a high-powered job so you can flip burgers because you think the boss is more competent. Bosses come and go, and I've made my mistakes. I've ingratiated myself to my boss, only to have him leave the next month, and I've taken a position beneath my abilities and experience because I thought the boss was an all-star only to have her give her two weeks notice, leaving me without *any* boss and therefore without any opportunity to advance or stay on past the end of my contract. As an additional note, flipping burgers is a great way to get no respect from anyone while you waste away on a substandard salary.
Take the job if you want it. Not just because of a boss, or a location, or a salary range, or even what you think you want to do. These are all factors, and should be considered in tandem. In the event that you wind up with a lousy boss, by all means make the best of it and find the next opportunity to transfer to a different department or hop to another company. But if you love everything else about the job, don't let a boss like that keep you from where you want to be. You're going to have to learn to deal with pricks someday, and if you learn how early on you'll be ahead of the game.
You decide your own level of involvement, amirite?