Hmmm... anyone bother to do this with two languages of Torah and actually notice what does and doesn't coincide?
I would be quite impressed if G-d actually managed to not only embed messages in the original Scriptures, but also make his creation evolve languages in such a way that any translation of the Torah can be found to have the same messages in the same places, albeit in different languages.
Does anyone ever *think* when they try to analyze the mind of something so much higher than themselves?
I don't recall ever being *without* some sort of ID.
And honestly, I've given away so much to online registrations at this point that there's really not much point trying to hide now. I like my nickname too much to change it and re-do all my accounts, so I guess until I next shift houses and don't forward my snail mail, or drop my email address and get a new one, I'm skunked.
Having seen some of the ins and outs of the legal system, I can say I'd *rather* be tracked when doing something *legal*, than *anonymous* when doing something *illegal*.
Where did this "Privacy Is The Be All And End All" mind set come from? My mom and dad used to be able to hear me with my girlfriends at night... they had the good taste not to mention anything. I'm sure most people *don't* snoop.
2-q's: Canadians/others? & Central discussion area
on
CALEA update
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· Score: 2
Seeing as so much traffic from anywhere moves within the states, how does this bode for Canadians and others who are unfortunate enough to get shadowed by the usa's laws and lack of morals?
This almost leads to an ask.slashdot question: What tools (whether legal or not) are available for the following:
--Telephone encryption --Cell phone encryption --Anonymous web movement --Email encryption (pgp/gpg obviously) --Cell phone location hiding --etc. etc.
Obviously, which are "uncrackable" (I don't consider 40-bit anything to be uncrackable with the kind of computing power a governments budget can come up with)
I think what's needed (perhaps as part of Your Rights Online) is a large discussion forum in the style of the old BBS's with message bases so that we can have a solid on-line location to find answers to questions such as these!
Securityportal.net, hackernews.com, etc. etc. are great, but it's *so* hard to go around the web and find any real solutions to invasions of our privacy... A central discussion place would be nice.
Anyways, just a handful of thoughts.
Personally, I'd rather be innocent of a crime, but thrown in jail for protecting my privacy, than living "free" but being watched by some "authority".
"Card swipping will be more secure for the simple reason that more information will be stored on the chip..."
Yes, but that's missing the point. That's like saying "It will be more secure because it's written down and stored in your pocket..."
How does that create security? If, for instance, there is no encryption or even scrambling going on, it's still sent from the card reader to the serial or keyboard ports... That's how card readers typically work, they spit ascii to their port.
Not only is that readable, but it's sent straight over a web site, which is also readable, unless you're using HTTPS (then it's only semi-secure... c'mon, 40 bit encryption? Ha!)
Ah well. Still, I trust web purchases more than I trust the 15 year old with an attitude behind the counter at most CD stores!;->
How does this relate to the various Mondex / Electronic Cash projects that are underway?
The Mondex system, which is in a fairly strong Beta phase in Canada, uses a smart-card chip (you know, the 6-pin ones on phone calling cards) and a bit of encryption to store cash amounts and personal data.
I wouldn't be surprised if the card readers weren't just readers, but also did some encryption before they spat it out their serial ports to the computer, to the browser, to the server, etc. down the chain.
Anyone on the inside have any tech details? RFC specs? Anything?
Even a yearly fee amount or an interest rate amount?
What would be really cool is a PCMCIA card reader so you could use this in your laptop without lugging something external. I know there are PCMCIA adapters to read standard smartcards...
Yes, there are exceptions where you'd need to send certain control characters, as in Telnet, but I *know* I can rely on "Edit:Copy" on the menu, *AND* paste it in any other app that *CONFORMS TO A GUI STANDARD*.
That's what we're missing. If we can write a bleedin' *KERNEL*, with interfaces to hardware, file systems, etc. etc, why can't some group bash heads and decide on some elementary user interface standards?
No one would *have* to adhere to them, but Damn, it'd be nice if they did, because we'd be able to use this os a *lot* more smoothly!
People, stop pointing out the odd exception as valid reason to not even *form* a rule!
Would you live in a home where every light switch worked differently, the three bathrooms had hot and cold taps on different sides, and no two outlets on the wall were the same?
Why would you use an OS where it's just as difficult and inconsistant?
Microsoft, as much as we love to hate them, spends tons of money (which I'm sure Enlightenment doesn't have by comparison) on useability and the human interface.
I can rely on the same keystrokes, the same mouse clicks, a consistant Clipboard, the same file dialogs, etc. etc., no matter what Windows app I run.
Linux apps, be they for KDE or Enlightement, or any WM, seem to be as different from one another as possible. This is all in the name of "We're Unique!", which seems to translate to "We're Unusable and have a HUGE learning curve!"
What, if anything, is going to make Enlightenment/Gnome/KDE/Anything else, more usable than one another? Themes are lovely, but a pretty face is only skin deep.
Can we at *least* "steal" some of MS's better ideas for use in "our" environment?
It's a great article, it brings up some interesting points, and the people who point out the dumbing-down/elite issues have good points too.
I personally wouldn't want to be limited to one of anything. Choice is good.
I also don't like the tone of "Thou Shalt" and the use of the word "must" in the article.
However... Look at it like this:
There is/could/should be a new distribution called "Linux For The Masses" . It will be locked down. It will always, version-to-version, have one wm, one desktop. It will not boot in text mode, you will not need command line knowledge. It will be easy enough for your mom to use AND install!
If you take it in *that* point of view, then *everyone* could be satisfied.
As for the ad spae itself, Intel does that now with Intel logos (on Intel motherboards, of course) that the VAR can replace with their own logo. I'm sure we'll only see AOL and similar ads shipping on "Free PCs". It's a logical connection.
All of a sudden, in a reprogrammable flash (pun!) of inspiration, I see a new project just waiting to happen...
Open-source, free, Linux-enhanced (perhaps), user-supported, bla bla bla BIOS, flashable and usable on just about any motherboard.
If the OS is so important, why is the BIOS neglected? I make a point of updating mine every time I see a new patch on ASUS's site, but I'm convinced most people don't.
With new kernel features and add-ons like fan speed sensing support, various USB chipsets, boot devices ranging from A-first, C/D/E-first, SCSI-first, CDRom, etc. etc. etc., the BIOS should mesh with the OS at LEAST as much as the direct hardware drivers mesh the hardware to the OS. (am I rambling?)
With tight enough code, a Linux-enhanced BIOS could leave enough room for various bits of the kernel to be flashed in, additional plug-and-play support, security, or any number of features.
Who's to say that in a year, with a project like this, Linux distributions won't come with an rpm (or whatever dist. method) that updates your BIOS for you, based on what motherboard you select? I personally think it's a GREAT idea, but that's just me.
Sun has such tight support for its hardware, because it runs it's own chips, it's own os, and it's own BIOS.
Same thing with Macintosh (no OS/platform arguments, *please*, that's off-topic).
There are a number of BIOSes out there in the public or semi-public domain already. I remember having an old IBM PC/XT manual with the BIOS source code actually in it!!! (Talk about wonderful programming reference!)
What say everyone? Is this a worthy project? I'm not a programmer, (although I play one on TV) and I've barely even become familiar with CVS (I admit), but I'm sure someone is willing to pick up the ball and run with it.
Perhaps we should have a Slashdot Poll on the topic, with a lot of useful feedback?
A machine like this, combined with a *specific* distribution such as one tailored for network debugging, or one tailored for project management or for contact management, would be *the* perfect use for Linux, to my mind.
With the scalibility of the kernel, the widely adaptable interfaces offered by X (and it's micro sized cousins), all it would take is some decent niche apps to *really* make a killer handheld.
I find the Pilot is wonderful... but still limited in that it's yet another OS/environment/set of SDKs to program in. Same with Epoch, and I don't think it will ever catch on with as much shareware/freeware as PalmOS or even Windows itself has.
Linux is catching up *rapidly* to the dearth of Windows shareware/freeware available (anyone remember the early days of www.winfiles.com?).
All someone really needs to do is write a *GOOD* clone of Outlook, and a GOOD clone of Office (StarOffice falls under mediocre, not good) scaled for the type of use a handheld would get. For instance, mostly read, rather than hardcore write/edit, ease of connectivity, screen real-estate a focus. That would kill off WinCE, which is trying to be too much all at once.
If you want to specialize, like a doctor carrying a bag of medicines and examination tools, keep a small, real-estate-friendly interface, or even a command line, and compile what apps you need.
The biggest questions are A: Does this thing have a flash ROM that you can overwrite with your own boot code, and B: Is anyone up for the task?
I developed this 3 years ago... legal issues.
on
CD vending machines
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· Score: 1
I developed a web-interfaced search engine, cd database, and cd burning engine about 3 years ago, to do specifically this.
I had a prototype running that would let you come up to a touch screen, enter an id, search for and select your tunes, re-order them on the cd, and commit with a "Burn!" button. Wait 15 minutes (due to the slow speed of burners those days) and out pops a color-labelled CD with a color printed cardboard sleeve.
I've still got all the software and source code for it, of course. (You *never* toss that stuff!)
Being a web interface, you could do it from a kiosk, or from a web site and have it mailed to you.
The only things that stopped me from taking this to market: Lack of good partners (I'm a techie, Jim, not a businessman!), lack of money for a good entertainment-industry lawyer, and the biggest thing:
Record companies pulled shit like "If you use our label's catalog, you can't use any others", or "No, we don't want to cut out our middleman".
The software even took care of handling the royalties, and submitted money to the appropriate companies upon a successful burn.
If anyone's interested in talking with me on the project, I'm still willing to bring it back to life.
Think, now, we can offer MP3 disks with hours and hours of legal, paid-for music, as well as standard 74-minute CD's!
David Szego dszego@mindslip.com
This was an argument in #linux yesterday
on
Feature:Free Linux
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· Score: 1
This was a big argument in #linux yesterday, for which a bunch of people got kicked in the typical childish IRC manner.
It would seem to me that Linus could have called it "KerSplat!Nix" for all he cares, being the perpetrator of this wonderful os!
Get over the petty semantics and focus on more important things like making it desktop-friendly and easy to install without having to be a programmer!
I played with one of Creative's alpha-grade portable MP3 players at Comdex back in November.
Honestly, it sucked. It was really low quality sound, more like fm radio than CD, which by comparison to a good software player is unacceptable.
There's a chipset on the market that does hardware mp3 decoding... I wonder who's using it? Some german company whom I can't remember makes it.
Anyways, the point is, by comparison to the Saihan product that was also showing (mp-man), it was no competition. I'm waiting for the one with the 2 gig drive.
Does the fact that no doubt people will open their boxes, look at the chips, or otherwise discover what chips are in there, and simply make the knowledge public with sidelines of anti-toshiba comments not scare toshiba?
It's not necessarily a *good* "scare tactic", but does it work?
Someone ought to let companies like this know that no matter what they do to hide things, it will get out soon enough, and no doubt with negative connotations attached for trying to hide it in the first place.
Slashdot Mirror
Hmmm... anyone bother to do this with two languages of Torah and actually notice what does and doesn't coincide?
I would be quite impressed if G-d actually managed to not only embed messages in the original Scriptures, but also make his creation evolve languages in such a way that any translation of the Torah can be found to have the same messages in the same places, albeit in different languages.
Does anyone ever *think* when they try to analyze the mind of something so much higher than themselves?
mindslip
Ok, modems are exempt. Still...
I don't recall ever being *without* some sort of ID.
And honestly, I've given away so much to online registrations at this point that there's really not much point trying to hide now. I like my nickname too much to change it and re-do all my accounts, so I guess until I next shift houses and don't forward my snail mail, or drop my email address and get a new one, I'm skunked.
Having seen some of the ins and outs of the legal system, I can say I'd *rather* be tracked when doing something *legal*, than *anonymous* when doing something *illegal*.
Where did this "Privacy Is The Be All And End All" mind set come from? My mom and dad used to be able to hear me with my girlfriends at night... they had the good taste not to mention anything. I'm sure most people *don't* snoop.
mindslip
...and here I thought gambling was illegal in most places.
Am I allowed to go on my usual rant about amerika, kapitalism, and hypocracy, at this point?
Let them burn their money. I'm still happier actually *working* for mine.
mindslip
Having worked in the backbones of a bank or two, I can say that trading floors seem to go up and down like a yo-yo.
Mainly because of the amount of 56k lines to branches and all the legacy X.25 stuff that's been sitting sucking dust in its fans forever!
mindslip
Line 44
;-> Blame it on MS.
Char 1
'document.f.q' is not an object.
Go figure the scripting breaks between yesterday and today when it's "released".
That's under IE5, of course.
Love the beast, otherwise! (Google, that is... not MS or IE!)
mindslip
Small struggling company?
;->
What rock, sir?
mindslip
Seeing as so much traffic from anywhere moves within the states, how does this bode for Canadians and others who are unfortunate enough to get shadowed by the usa's laws and lack of morals?
This almost leads to an ask.slashdot question: What tools (whether legal or not) are available for the following:
--Telephone encryption
--Cell phone encryption
--Anonymous web movement
--Email encryption (pgp/gpg obviously)
--Cell phone location hiding
--etc. etc.
Obviously, which are "uncrackable" (I don't consider 40-bit anything to be uncrackable with the kind of computing power a governments budget can come up with)
I think what's needed (perhaps as part of Your Rights Online) is a large discussion forum in the style of the old BBS's with message bases so that we can have a solid on-line location to find answers to questions such as these!
Securityportal.net, hackernews.com, etc. etc. are great, but it's *so* hard to go around the web and find any real solutions to invasions of our privacy... A central discussion place would be nice.
Anyways, just a handful of thoughts.
Personally, I'd rather be innocent of a crime, but thrown in jail for protecting my privacy, than living "free" but being watched by some "authority".
mindslip
Look up DIA on www.freshmeat.net.
It was at 0.4 last I saw, or something... hope the guy's still working on it, it was really slick 6 months ago!
mindslip
http://www.pineusa.com
$299 us, in November.
Looks nice and rugged, too!
"Card swipping will be more secure for the simple reason that more information will be stored on the chip..."
;->
Yes, but that's missing the point. That's like saying "It will be more secure because it's written down and stored in your pocket..."
How does that create security? If, for instance, there is no encryption or even scrambling going on, it's still sent from the card reader to the serial or keyboard ports... That's how card readers typically work, they spit ascii to their port.
Not only is that readable, but it's sent straight over a web site, which is also readable, unless you're using HTTPS (then it's only semi-secure... c'mon, 40 bit encryption? Ha!)
Ah well. Still, I trust web purchases more than I trust the 15 year old with an attitude behind the counter at most CD stores!
mindslip
How does this relate to the various Mondex / Electronic Cash projects that are underway?
The Mondex system, which is in a fairly strong Beta phase in Canada, uses a smart-card chip (you know, the 6-pin ones on phone calling cards) and a bit of encryption to store cash amounts and personal data.
I wouldn't be surprised if the card readers weren't just readers, but also did some encryption before they spat it out their serial ports to the computer, to the browser, to the server, etc. down the chain.
Anyone on the inside have any tech details? RFC specs? Anything?
Even a yearly fee amount or an interest rate amount?
What would be really cool is a PCMCIA card reader so you could use this in your laptop without lugging something external. I know there are PCMCIA adapters to read standard smartcards...
mindslip
P.S. first? (yay.)
I think you're missing the point.
Yes, there are exceptions where you'd need to send certain control characters, as in Telnet, but I *know* I can rely on "Edit:Copy" on the menu, *AND* paste it in any other app that *CONFORMS TO A GUI STANDARD*.
That's what we're missing. If we can write a bleedin' *KERNEL*, with interfaces to hardware, file systems, etc. etc, why can't some group bash heads and decide on some elementary user interface standards?
No one would *have* to adhere to them, but Damn, it'd be nice if they did, because we'd be able to use this os a *lot* more smoothly!
People, stop pointing out the odd exception as valid reason to not even *form* a rule!
Would you live in a home where every light switch worked differently, the three bathrooms had hot and cold taps on different sides, and no two outlets on the wall were the same?
Why would you use an OS where it's just as difficult and inconsistant?
mindslip
Microsoft, as much as we love to hate them, spends tons of money (which I'm sure Enlightenment doesn't have by comparison) on useability and the human interface.
I can rely on the same keystrokes, the same mouse clicks, a consistant Clipboard, the same file dialogs, etc. etc., no matter what Windows app I run.
Linux apps, be they for KDE or Enlightement, or any WM, seem to be as different from one another as possible. This is all in the name of "We're Unique!", which seems to translate to "We're Unusable and have a HUGE learning curve!"
What, if anything, is going to make Enlightenment/Gnome/KDE/Anything else, more usable than one another? Themes are lovely, but a pretty face is only skin deep.
Can we at *least* "steal" some of MS's better ideas for use in "our" environment?
Comments?
mindslip
It's a great article, it brings up some interesting points, and the people who point out the dumbing-down/elite issues have good points too.
;->
I personally wouldn't want to be limited to one of anything. Choice is good.
I also don't like the tone of "Thou Shalt" and the use of the word "must" in the article.
However... Look at it like this:
There is/could/should be a new distribution called "Linux For The Masses" . It will be locked down. It will always, version-to-version, have one wm, one desktop. It will not boot in text mode, you will not need command line knowledge. It will be easy enough for your mom to use AND install!
If you take it in *that* point of view, then *everyone* could be satisfied.
Ok... so who's going to start working on it?
"Linux For The Masses... Your Mom's next distro"
mindslip
As for the ad spae itself, Intel does that now with Intel logos (on Intel motherboards, of course) that the VAR can replace with their own logo. I'm sure we'll only see AOL and similar ads shipping on "Free PCs". It's a logical connection.
mindslip
All of a sudden, in a reprogrammable flash (pun!) of inspiration, I see a new project just waiting to happen...
Open-source, free, Linux-enhanced (perhaps), user-supported, bla bla bla BIOS, flashable and usable on just about any motherboard.
If the OS is so important, why is the BIOS neglected? I make a point of updating mine every time I see a new patch on ASUS's site, but I'm convinced most people don't.
With new kernel features and add-ons like fan speed sensing support, various USB chipsets, boot devices ranging from A-first, C/D/E-first, SCSI-first, CDRom, etc. etc. etc., the BIOS should mesh with the OS at LEAST as much as the direct hardware drivers mesh the hardware to the OS. (am I rambling?)
With tight enough code, a Linux-enhanced BIOS could leave enough room for various bits of the kernel to be flashed in, additional plug-and-play support, security, or any number of features.
Who's to say that in a year, with a project like this, Linux distributions won't come with an rpm (or whatever dist. method) that updates your BIOS for you, based on what motherboard you select? I personally think it's a GREAT idea, but that's just me.
Sun has such tight support for its hardware, because it runs it's own chips, it's own os, and it's own BIOS.
Same thing with Macintosh (no OS/platform arguments, *please*, that's off-topic).
There are a number of BIOSes out there in the public or semi-public domain already. I remember having an old IBM PC/XT manual with the BIOS source code actually in it!!! (Talk about wonderful programming reference!)
What say everyone? Is this a worthy project? I'm not a programmer, (although I play one on TV) and I've barely even become familiar with CVS (I admit), but I'm sure someone is willing to pick up the ball and run with it.
Perhaps we should have a Slashdot Poll on the topic, with a lot of useful feedback?
mindslip
Good. He's great at chess.
Doesn't anyone get tired of this sort of grandstanding? It would be an interesting experiment tho.
How many possible moves would there be on average for people to vote on? How long is the voting period per move?
This gives new meaning to the idea of a computer virus.
;->
Look, SOMEONE had to say it!
mindslip
A machine like this, combined with a *specific* distribution such as one tailored for network debugging, or one tailored for project management or for contact management, would be *the* perfect use for Linux, to my mind.
With the scalibility of the kernel, the widely adaptable interfaces offered by X (and it's micro sized cousins), all it would take is some decent niche apps to *really* make a killer handheld.
I find the Pilot is wonderful... but still limited in that it's yet another OS/environment/set of SDKs to program in. Same with Epoch, and I don't think it will ever catch on with as much shareware/freeware as PalmOS or even Windows itself has.
Linux is catching up *rapidly* to the dearth of Windows shareware/freeware available (anyone remember the early days of www.winfiles.com?).
All someone really needs to do is write a *GOOD* clone of Outlook, and a GOOD clone of Office (StarOffice falls under mediocre, not good) scaled for the type of use a handheld would get. For instance, mostly read, rather than hardcore write/edit, ease of connectivity, screen real-estate a focus. That would kill off WinCE, which is trying to be too much all at once.
If you want to specialize, like a doctor carrying a bag of medicines and examination tools, keep a small, real-estate-friendly interface, or even a command line, and compile what apps you need.
The biggest questions are A: Does this thing have a flash ROM that you can overwrite with your own boot code, and B: Is anyone up for the task?
mindslip
I've played bass and piano for a long time... It's only improved my muscle control and memory.
The same is true of my handwriting since I've started using a Pilot.
It's amazing what bullshit people will write, given a stupid thesis and some money to research with.
...it's sort of like a mercy killing, isn't it?
I developed a web-interfaced search engine, cd database, and cd burning engine about 3 years ago, to do specifically this.
I had a prototype running that would let you come up to a touch screen, enter an id, search for and select your tunes, re-order them on the cd, and commit with a "Burn!" button. Wait 15 minutes (due to the slow speed of burners those days) and out pops a color-labelled CD with a color printed cardboard sleeve.
I've still got all the software and source code for it, of course. (You *never* toss that stuff!)
Being a web interface, you could do it from a kiosk, or from a web site and have it mailed to you.
The only things that stopped me from taking this to market: Lack of good partners (I'm a techie, Jim, not a businessman!), lack of money for a good entertainment-industry lawyer, and the biggest thing:
Record companies pulled shit like "If you use our label's catalog, you can't use any others", or "No, we don't want to cut out our middleman".
The software even took care of handling the royalties, and submitted money to the appropriate companies upon a successful burn.
If anyone's interested in talking with me on the project, I'm still willing to bring it back to life.
Think, now, we can offer MP3 disks with hours and hours of legal, paid-for music, as well as standard 74-minute CD's!
David Szego
dszego@mindslip.com
This was a big argument in #linux yesterday, for which a bunch of people got kicked in the typical childish IRC manner.
It would seem to me that Linus could have called it "KerSplat!Nix" for all he cares, being the perpetrator of this wonderful os!
Get over the petty semantics and focus on more important things like making it desktop-friendly and easy to install without having to be a programmer!
I played with one of Creative's alpha-grade portable MP3 players at Comdex back in November.
Honestly, it sucked. It was really low quality sound, more like fm radio than CD, which by comparison to a good software player is unacceptable.
There's a chipset on the market that does hardware mp3 decoding... I wonder who's using it? Some german company whom I can't remember makes it.
Anyways, the point is, by comparison to the Saihan product that was also showing (mp-man), it was no competition. I'm waiting for the one with the 2 gig drive.
mindslip
Woo hoo! First! (I think!)
Does the fact that no doubt people will open their boxes, look at the chips, or otherwise discover what chips are in there, and simply make the knowledge public with sidelines of anti-toshiba comments not scare toshiba?
It's not necessarily a *good* "scare tactic", but does it work?
Someone ought to let companies like this know that no matter what they do to hide things, it will get out soon enough, and no doubt with negative connotations attached for trying to hide it in the first place.
mindslip.