The main thing was that "whoever controls the past controls the future".
Perhaps someday someone will create / market a drug that gives people perfect recall. This will effectively end politics as it is practiced today. Imagine Joe Voter remembering every campaign promise, every denial, etc...
I used to play around with Vasopressin, which facilitates creating new memories. Interesting drug, it really did help me to pick up certain info quicker. I believe they stopped making it.
In any case, such a drug would be the undoing of big brother.
What drug would a theoretical big brother prefer people to take? Something that would shorten our collective memories and attention spans. Oops... I guess they call that television.
To some extent, the same thing is happening with DIVX's. In this case, someone will rename a given movie and upload it. People grab it and share it before they verify that it is what it says it is.
In this case, it does not appear to be the work of a concerted group - just trolly kids, I suspect.
Sometimes they rename pornos with titles like 'mulan.avi', etc. Sigh. Lots of wasted bandwidth.
I bet the movie industry will do that soon. They must be soiling themselves over people sharing cam grabs of every popular movie - with in hours of the opening. Download it and spend your savings on a Pizza.
Japan has one lawyer for every 10,000 people. The US has one lawyer for every 300 people.
"I didn't see the sign saying the theater was blocked and I missed my big interview / wife in labor / server going down / mother dying / stockmarket crashing / etc."
US lawyers would have a field day. "Was the sign displayed properly? What font was it in? Was it also written in Swahili? What about the literacy impared?"
Re: Resonance... try this on for size: The old Republic (an inefficient, but fundamentally peaceful democracy) is manipulated into giving Supreme Authority to an elected politician with questionable allegiances. In the process, the republic slowly becomes a royal, military dictatorship (or empire).
a) nazi germany b) the republic of rome c) star wars: attack of the clones d) bush whitehouse e) all of the above
Re: Relying on precognition as a plot device... seems like such crap. Then I remember an interesting meta study from the 90's, in which it was determined that AS A GROUP, people who believed in ESP, psychic pheonoma, etc scored higher (on average) on Rhine exams, etc than a similar group of "non-believers". Again, not talking about individuals, talking about group averages. So, I dunno, makes me think.
"International Team Explores Lunar Base Proposals", sounds great, but the teams are composed entirely of students with no power to do anything except study ideas. So, a better headline might be "International students discuss lunar base proposals."
I wish it was as good as the headline sounds. The story has nothing on real-world issues like funding, design, lobbying, private sector support - nada.
The biggest stumbling block to a true lunar base is political. Many (mostly conservative) lawmakers think that any money spend on space (other than defense spending) is a total waste. Many of those that are interested in space seem to think that the Moon should be completely ignored in favor of Mars, no matter what, no discussion, period. The former head of NASA was one of these. And we haven't been to the moon in about 25 years.
If I had a wish, it would be that these students study and publicize the politics behind those groups that are keeping us from funding a legit moon base.
I can not disagree with this statement enough. I watch the market and this won't happen. I've owned 4 thinkpads, know them inside and out, watched as IBM has improved them. You can now get more bang / buck from a Thinkpad than from any other laptop on the market, and great support. They keep winning awards for a reason.
Keeping in mind that IBM's laptop and desktop lines have nothing to do with one another, do you have anything to base your claim on? Personal experience w/ Thinkpads? Anything?
Saying that IBM will slap it's logo on random Taiwan junk just is not justified. It's like saying that BMW would slap it's logo on a Chevy.
I have trouble seeing how this comment got moded up so high.
And incedentally, Redhat runs great on Thinkpads. There are some wonderful utils out there to give you full control of every aspect of the hardware. IBM even has some very helpful sites.
It's easy to employ 2 programmers and claim you offer Linux support for your product. It's harder to publically say that you don't dedicate enough resources to it to be able to claim you support it.
Would you have a written test for cooking? Art? Programming is similar in many ways.
Perhaps the grade should be assigned solely on projects.
And yes, some people could cheat, so what? They could get other people to draw for them in art class too.
Most professors find the whole testing process to be a pain and a waste of time. The whole paradigm is about 3000 years old. Maybe it's time to change. Universities should be in the business of educating people.
... instead of being so damn smug. Get off your high horse and join the movement, or shut the f*** up.
Um, your equine mount seems a touch elivated too, bucko. So people found a little humor in the idea. Big deal. We find humor in lots of ideas. Everyone seems to welcome it. No one is calling for eugenics or ethnic cleansing here, just having a chuckle, like they do with every other article on/. Lighten up and consider decaf, kay?
How data gets backed up... is sometimes dictated by who is responsible for it. Who's ass is on the line?
If the individual users are responsible for their PC's data, then they probably back it up (or think they do, or try to, or intend to, or forget to, or...)
If the system's guys are responsible, then they probably back it up, remotely, automatically. Your post doesn't say who is responsible. Be nice if there was a policy, huh?
The most secure cryptosystems in the world are "open source". The encryption key is kept secret, but the method of encrypting the key is published. People are encouraged to whack at it. If a system gets broken, someone gets famous, but people know quickly.
This seems like a much better model for OS development than "let's hope no one remembers that old trick".
By using antique software, it is probably relatively easy to do some research and find security vulnerabilities.
So you think the 'script kiddies' can easily hack say, VM/CMS or MVS? Just do some simple research and plow through the manuals? Ever read those manuals? It's like sanscrit, not simple cook-book stuff. JCL makes perl look like english.
These old systems can certainly be hacked, but not trivially. Go look on the net and you will find very little on hacking these types of systems. Then look for info on hacking Unix and especially Windows.
I don't own a TV. I can not purchase cable modem only service from road runner, they "generously" package it with basic cable.
When installing the cable, they even insisted on putting a splitter between the modem and the wall... to save them a trip next time.
Perhaps this is only true in Hawaii. Perhaps they are too lazy to separate the two. Perhaps I am a freak for not owning a TV. Perhaps this is true for many people who don't know it.
Technology has come a long way; we have not. We build better weapons to kill people with more efficiency. We focus on winning the conflict, but not preventing it.
No doubt, it is a very cool piece of technology. I can't imaging the engineering that went into it. I wish this energy went into exploring other planets, instead of "fighting for peace".
Once upon a time, you had to look into someone's eyes to kill them. Then you could do the job from 20 yards away, 100 yards away, from 2 miles in the air, from another nation, another continent.
Doesn't something change when you take human conscience out of the equation? The dot on the screen is a village with many homes, families, adults and children. We can unleash hell without ever seeing our victims. To them, we are a faceless empire, worse than Rome's wildest dreams.
We use space-age technology to accomplish cave-man goals. We don't need better weapons, we somehow need better people.
I wrote to my congressmen about Echelon, only one replied. He said that he was on a congressional committee charged with investigating Echelon which repeatedly questioned the military and has repeatedly been stonewalled, publically told that it does not exist. He was genuinely pissed about it. This is positive proof that parts of the military are no longer responsive to government. (I wonder what happens when all of it is unresponsive?)
The European Parliment is also upset about Echelon. Germany has strong evidence that german Echelon stations have been used for industrial espionage. I recall that Japan was upset when it was learned that their private calls between negotiators were being spied on during high-level trade-talks.
I have no doubt that the information yeilded from the system has been used for good purposes, like preventing terrorist attacks and such. It ihas also been misused. It is my opinion that you can not use fascist tactics in defense of democracy.
A good source of information on Echelon is the ACLU: http://www.aclu.org/echelonwatch/faq.html The ACLU even have a simple way to send your congressmen a fax about it. http://www.aclu.org/action/echelon107.html
He is planning a demonstration of what Linux can do for schools this July 4, calling it Software Independence Day.
I like it. "Open Source: beating down the forces of tyranny." "Give me OS liberty, or give me... well, Windows." "I regret that I have only one CPU to run with my OS." "We must all hang together, or certainly our PCs will all hang separately." And so on.
Perhaps we need a Boston Tea party sort of thing where we burn hundreds of Windows licenses.
Slashdot Mirror
Office 200? Office 200. Now we know why Rome fell.
Perhaps someday someone will create / market a drug that gives people perfect recall. This will effectively end politics as it is practiced today. Imagine Joe Voter remembering every campaign promise, every denial, etc...
I used to play around with Vasopressin, which facilitates creating new memories. Interesting drug, it really did help me to pick up certain info quicker. I believe they stopped making it.
In any case, such a drug would be the undoing of big brother.
What drug would a theoretical big brother prefer people to take? Something that would shorten our collective memories and attention spans. Oops ... I guess they call that television.
To some extent, the same thing is happening with DIVX's. In this case, someone will rename a given movie and upload it. People grab it and share it before they verify that it is what it says it is.
In this case, it does not appear to be the work of a concerted group - just trolly kids, I suspect.
Sometimes they rename pornos with titles like 'mulan.avi', etc. Sigh. Lots of wasted bandwidth.
I bet the movie industry will do that soon. They must be soiling themselves over people sharing cam grabs of every popular movie - with in hours of the opening. Download it and spend your savings on a Pizza.
"One can only guess at what Microsoft's motives might be."
Perhaps that want to make a nice salad? They will certainly be inundated with fresh produce.
=brian
Japan has one lawyer for every 10,000 people. The US has one lawyer for every 300 people.
"I didn't see the sign saying the theater was blocked and I missed my big interview / wife in labor / server going down / mother dying / stockmarket crashing / etc."
US lawyers would have a field day. "Was the sign displayed properly? What font was it in? Was it also written in Swahili? What about the literacy impared?"
I just can't see it.
=brian
Re: Resonance ... try this on for size: The old Republic (an inefficient, but fundamentally peaceful democracy) is manipulated into giving Supreme Authority to an elected politician with questionable allegiances. In the process, the republic slowly becomes a royal, military dictatorship (or empire).
... seems like such crap. Then I remember an interesting meta study from the 90's, in which it was determined that AS A GROUP, people who believed in ESP, psychic pheonoma, etc scored higher (on average) on Rhine exams, etc than a similar group of "non-believers". Again, not talking about individuals, talking about group averages. So, I dunno, makes me think.
a) nazi germany
b) the republic of rome
c) star wars: attack of the clones
d) bush whitehouse
e) all of the above
Re: Relying on precognition as a plot device
Does anyone have any pointers to this study?
thanks
=brian
Do you own your finger prints? Do you own your signature?
No, you do not. Both can be digitized, misused, used against you.
I expect the same is true of iris scans.
The courts will probably mis-apply 17th century property laws to the issue. Oh, brave new world.
=brian
Home-built is generally more expensive, not less.
You are paying full price, where Dell, etc get a huge discount because they purchase so many.
Also consider:
- misc component conflicts
- cheap, un-supported components
- BIOS issues
- no tech support for your specific configuration
To paraphrase: "homebuit machines are only cheaper if your time is worthless."
The Big Boys also hire people to test and document their various configurations, to create and update driver disks, etc.
Sure, you can absolutely do all that yourself, but why? You can built your own radio too, but why?
If it is for fun, do it. If it is to save money, don't.
=brian
"International Team Explores Lunar Base Proposals", sounds great, but the teams are composed entirely of students with no power to do anything except study ideas. So, a better headline might be "International students discuss lunar base proposals."
I wish it was as good as the headline sounds.
The story has nothing on real-world issues like funding, design, lobbying, private sector support - nada.
The biggest stumbling block to a true lunar base is political. Many (mostly conservative) lawmakers think that any money spend on space (other than defense spending) is a total waste. Many of those that are interested in space seem to think that the Moon should be completely ignored in favor of Mars, no matter what, no discussion, period. The former head of NASA was one of these. And we haven't been to the moon in about 25 years.
If I had a wish, it would be that these students study and publicize the politics behind those groups that are keeping us from funding a legit moon base.
=brian
I can not disagree with this statement enough. I watch the market and this won't happen. I've owned 4 thinkpads, know them inside and out, watched as IBM has improved them. You can now get more bang / buck from a Thinkpad than from any other laptop on the market, and great support. They keep winning awards for a reason.
Keeping in mind that IBM's laptop and desktop lines have nothing to do with one another, do you have anything to base your claim on? Personal experience w/ Thinkpads? Anything?
Saying that IBM will slap it's logo on random Taiwan junk just is not justified. It's like saying that BMW would slap it's logo on a Chevy.
I have trouble seeing how this comment got moded up so high.
And incedentally, Redhat runs great on Thinkpads. There are some wonderful utils out there to give you full control of every aspect of the hardware. IBM even has some very helpful sites.
It's easy to employ 2 programmers and claim you offer Linux support for your product. It's harder to publically say that you don't dedicate enough resources to it to be able to claim you support it.
=brian
.. which anyone can listen to.
Do you use caution when speaking into a microphone? Why?
Anything you publish can be used against you. Data wants to be free, remember?
=brian
Would you have a written test for cooking? Art? Programming is similar in many ways.
Perhaps the grade should be assigned solely on projects.
And yes, some people could cheat, so what? They could get other people to draw for them in art class too.
Most professors find the whole testing process to be a pain and a waste of time. The whole paradigm is about 3000 years old. Maybe it's time to change. Universities should be in the business of educating people.
Um, your equine mount seems a touch elivated too, bucko. So people found a little humor in the idea. Big deal. We find humor in lots of ideas. Everyone seems to welcome it. No one is calling for eugenics or ethnic cleansing here, just having a chuckle, like they do with every other article on /. Lighten up and consider decaf, kay?
=brian
If they are selling it at Walmart, it's probably based on beer.
(Sigh... just can't resist.)
=brian
Not only can you drop out of a deal with a new employer, but they can drop out of a deal with you. No doubt apologizing profusely.
Until you get it in writing, it ain't real. Sometimes even then.
=brian
How data gets backed up ... is sometimes dictated by who is responsible for it. Who's ass is on the line?
...)
If the individual users are responsible for their PC's data, then they probably back it up (or think they do, or try to, or intend to, or forget to, or
If the system's guys are responsible, then they probably back it up, remotely, automatically. Your post doesn't say who is responsible. Be nice if there was a policy, huh?
Responsibility without autority sucks. Beware.
=brian
The most secure cryptosystems in the world are "open source". The encryption key is kept secret, but the method of encrypting the key is published. People are encouraged to whack at it. If a system gets broken, someone gets famous, but people know quickly.
This seems like a much better model for OS development than "let's hope no one remembers that old trick".
=brian
So you think the 'script kiddies' can easily hack say, VM/CMS or MVS? Just do some simple research and plow through the manuals? Ever read those manuals? It's like sanscrit, not simple cook-book stuff. JCL makes perl look like english.
These old systems can certainly be hacked, but not trivially. Go look on the net and you will find very little on hacking these types of systems. Then look for info on hacking Unix and especially Windows.
=brian
I don't own a TV. I can not purchase cable modem only service from road runner, they "generously" package it with basic cable.
... to save them a trip next time.
When installing the cable, they even insisted on putting a splitter between the modem and the wall
Perhaps this is only true in Hawaii. Perhaps they are too lazy to separate the two. Perhaps I am a freak for not owning a TV. Perhaps this is true for many people who don't know it.
=brian
That's the great thing about Linux standards. There are so many to choose from.
=brian
I guess we'll all have to run out and buy "Star Wars: A New Hope, Extra-Special Edition, Director's Cut". How many versions of the film are there now?
Something's getting inserted somewhere all right.
=brian
The FBI's new face recognition technology has identified one of these images as that of John Ashcroft. Which could explain a lot.
=brian
Technology has come a long way; we have not. We build better weapons to kill people with more efficiency. We focus on winning the conflict, but not preventing it.
No doubt, it is a very cool piece of technology. I can't imaging the engineering that went into it. I wish this energy went into exploring other planets, instead of "fighting for peace".
Once upon a time, you had to look into someone's eyes to kill them. Then you could do the job from 20 yards away, 100 yards away, from 2 miles in the air, from another nation, another continent.
Doesn't something change when you take human conscience out of the equation? The dot on the screen is a village with many homes, families, adults and children. We can unleash hell without ever seeing our victims. To them, we are a faceless empire, worse than Rome's wildest dreams.
We use space-age technology to accomplish cave-man goals. We don't need better weapons, we somehow need better people.
=brian
I wrote to my congressmen about Echelon, only one replied. He said that he was on a congressional committee charged with investigating Echelon which repeatedly questioned the military and has repeatedly been stonewalled, publically told that it does not exist. He was genuinely pissed about it. This is positive proof that parts of the military are no longer responsive to government. (I wonder what happens when all of it is unresponsive?)
The European Parliment is also upset about Echelon. Germany has strong evidence that german Echelon stations have been used for industrial espionage. I recall that Japan was upset when it was learned that their private calls between negotiators were being spied on during high-level trade-talks.
I have no doubt that the information yeilded from the system has been used for good purposes, like preventing terrorist attacks and such. It ihas also been misused. It is my opinion that you can not use fascist tactics in defense of democracy.
A good source of information on Echelon is the ACLU: http://www.aclu.org/echelonwatch/faq.html The ACLU even have a simple way to send your congressmen a fax about it. http://www.aclu.org/action/echelon107.html
Let them know. Use your vote or you may lose it.
=brian (a coward, but not an anonymous coward)
I like it. "Open Source: beating down the forces of tyranny." "Give me OS liberty, or give me ... well, Windows." "I regret that I have only one CPU to run with my OS." "We must all hang together, or certainly our PCs will all hang separately." And so on.
Perhaps we need a Boston Tea party sort of thing where we burn hundreds of Windows licenses.
Or not.
=brian