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User: Howard2nd

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  1. Reminds me of a half dozen made for TV bad movies on West Virginia Is Geothermically Active · · Score: 1

    I am an engineer and know Murphy is an optimist.

    I live in Florida, you already know how I feel about drilling for energy.

    Be sure they have Tommy Lee Jones and Bruce Willis on retainer.

  2. Content Filters & Trusted Computing on Viacom Wants Industry Wide Copyright Filter · · Score: 2, Insightful

    London Printers, Music Moguls, Hollywood Twits; all these content providers want to own the content. They start as a service to deliver content from producer (author, musician, director & actors,..) to consumer (you & I), BUT greed makes them stupid. Unfortunately the best friends of 'Greed & Stupidity' are lawyers. They can and will support either side of an argument for money. Right, morals, ethics are not part of the equation. And we, the consuming public, allowed the legislatures of nation and states to be filled by these amoral, anethical, 'money is right' bottom feeders. A pundit wrote that 'wanting to make laws controlling others, is proof that you are not to be trusted to make laws!'

    The freedom of the future belongs to those who understand that the threat of content control is not JUST entertainment, but truth. It is not about the next episode of '2&1/2 Men', it is about the next election or the next war or the next reduction in services or the next increase in taxes for the middle classes.

    If all you have is "Trusted!" computing can you trust your family to their control?

  3. Re:Cordwainer Smith & Empire of Man on UK Moves To Allow Human Hybrid Experiments · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Well over 50 years ago a British author, wrote of the angst of slave owning and the first requirement of de-humanizing the property. Migrant workers, mine workers, homeless, illegal immigrants; they make us uncomfortable to the degree we find them human and worthy of sympathy. And to the degree we think them less than ourselves, we de-humanize ourselves. In Cordwainer's world, the lovely C'mell helps a young man find his humanity at the expense being a member of the overlords. On the other hand it was genetically enhanced apes that won in a different world.

  4. Re:Just a skin on PC Magazine Editor Throws in the Towel on Vista · · Score: 1

    No - not just a skin, the guts are rotten also. When they wrote DOS (I know they didn't actually write it) The majority of the code was interface between hardware pieces. The object was getting the person in the chair as close to the screen or printer as possible with the fewest problems. Oh, and save things which was the new cause of problems. Then we wanted Color and Sound and alternate controls (mice and joysticks and MIDI). And every vendor had a 'better' idea. An every damn one of them let lawyers and bean counters make changes to lock in customers and disadvantage the competition. It doesn't matter if it is Microsoft lying to developers to protect Office advantages, or games optimized for one video system over another. The result is an ever increasing distance between the chair and the output. Approximately half the driver problems in Vista are caused by DRM and the Decision that content providers (MPAA & RIAA) should control your computer. Vista will have problems as long as business believes 'Greed is Good!' After all engineers and end users know that 'Greed is Stupid!' is reality. [i.e. My Song Vaio notebook with Vista Ultimate sometimes shuts down the DVD if I plug headphones in. They are afraid I might be trying to steal that audio.]

  5. Redistricting vs. politics as usual on Redistricting Videogame Shows Problems in the System · · Score: 5, Informative

    I live in Florida - 20 years ago we tried to setup a logical redistricting system and were run out of town. The Republicans and Democrats would prefer to abuse each other every census. Any changes might allow for a thrid party and that will unite them against the people they represent everytime.

    Remember that most states have 'winner-take-all' electoral votes, because the Republicans got with the Democrats to stop Teddy Roosevelt and his Bull Moose party.

  6. Cyberwarfare on The New Air Force Mission? · · Score: 1

    Let's see, does a state of war exist between "us" (the people who live, work, play, love on the internet) and the dark forces in the world? Absolutely! Nigerian scam, Chinese Hacker college, phishers, spam, malware of all sorts, greedy companies (SBC, BellSouth, etc). This short list says we do have enemies, and there is a need to defend ourselves.
    That said, as ex-Navy (1968-1974) I remember that for close order ground support be well covered before the Air Force starts, they are the premier experts at 'Friendly Fire'.

  7. Legal Implications on GMC to Begin Remotely Scanning Cars for Trouble · · Score: 1

    If they put a breathalyzer in the car GM would be liable if they allow you to drive after drinking.

    How long until some state requires reports of driving behavior - speeding tickets automatically added to your car payments?

    Current legal practice is to request the blackbox (airbag monitor) data for the car that hit you. A record of speed, lane changes, turns, braking, etc.
    So if you thought you had a 'right to privacy" Get over it!