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User: Serk

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  1. Family Tech Support Unsupported Clause on iTunes: Still Slowing Down Windows PCs After All These Years · · Score: 1

    Being the typical Slashdot geek, I'm the default tech support for most of my family. I have very few "rules" in place seeing as this is informally helping out family members, but I've had to make it VERY clear to them that if iTunes is on the computer, I will not support the computer.

  2. Upgrading from W8 to W7 on Microsoft Has Been Watching, and It Says You're Getting Used To Windows 8 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The sheer number of friends and relatives bringing their shiny new computers to me (The resident geek) begging me to upgrade them from Windows 8 to Windows 7 says otherwise...

    I suspect most of these people did not voluntary opt into Microsoft's "Track Me" program either.

  3. Re:Self-help on Hot Pepper Kills Prostate Cancer · · Score: 1

    Sorry to go so completely off topic, but damn your signature! It made me go dig through my ancient archives and find my 7th Guest CD's to rip the music off! I'd been meaning to do that for years, and never got around to doing it...

  4. And for those who don't think this is so great... on The Super Superhighway · · Score: 4, Informative

    I just learned about this from the Slashdot story, and I'm a Texan right in the path of this monstrosity...
    A little Googling around and I found that those opposed to this thing have also organized, and can be found at http://www.corridorwatch.org
    I haven't 100% made my mind up on this yet, but the fact that it's a toll road REALLY leaves a bad taste in my mouth, all the new roads being built around here are toll now, and that's a major annoyance of mine.

    Anyway, I found that site describing the opposing viewpoint, and figured I'd pass it on...

  5. MPC, Take Two? on "Levels" of Computers the Future? · · Score: 4, Interesting

    In other words, they're trying to bring the "MPC" standards from the early 90's back?

    http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/M/MPC.html

  6. I can just see the new sign in Redmond... on Microsoft Expects 1 Billion Windows Users by 2010 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Over One Billion Served!

    Somehow fitting, as Windows is to well written software what a Big Mac is to fine cuisine...

  7. Browsing through the pics... on A Look At Intel ISEF 2004 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Browsing through the pics I had one thought that kept going through my head:

    Cool! Someone even geekier than myself!!

    But than cold reality crept back, and pointed out that, while the taker of those picture might be geekier than myself, he isn't MUCH geekier than me...

  8. Was I the only one? on NextFest · · Score: 4, Funny

    Was I the only one that saw the headline and immediately thought of a gathering of NeXT computer users?

  9. PREFERRED Stock on BayStar Cashes Out of SCO Stock · · Score: 5, Informative

    Before anyone gets the wrong idea, plase note, these are PREFERRED shares, not the normal one's you see quoted prices on...

    These shares value is set at $1000 each... so this is quite a big chunk out of SCO's warchest...

    Happy day!

  10. Re:Mikes computer on Michael Dell Steps Down as CEO · · Score: 2, Funny

    Totally off topic, but I hafta defend myself... Actually, I'm a FireFox user, but noticed the page wasn't working in FireFox, so I said a quick prayer, sprinkled some chicken blood on my computer for luck, and fired up IE to get the page...

    Shoulda just put a disclaimer in the original post...

  11. Re:Mikes computer on Michael Dell Steps Down as CEO · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Go here - Michael Dell's Page Then click Michael on the menu bar at the top, and go to "Michael's Computers"

  12. Re:Just out of interest on NASA Mars Press Briefing & "Significant Findings" · · Score: 3, Interesting

    For what it's worth, yes, the Rosetta launch was covered... At least, it was covered by the local AM news station here in Dallas, Texas that I listen to every morning...

    Fascinating project, but 10 years to wait for results... Man, it takes patience to do this kind of science!

  13. Re:Police Only Please on RIAA Takes the Fight to the Streets · · Score: 1

    I've taken a Concealed Carry class in Texas, and am very familiar with Texas' right to apply lethal force laws...

    In Texas, if someone breaks into your house (Anytime, day or night) steals something, and runs out the door, you are legally allowed to chase them down the street, and put a bullet in their head to retrieve your property. In fact, in Texas, you can follow them to THEIR house, kick in the door, and shoot them on the spot to retrieve your stolen property.

    In Texas, if a bunch of 12 year olds are papering your house at midnight, you are legally allowed to blow away each and every one of them (One of the instances where lethal force is allowed is to prevent the crime of 'Criminal Mischief occuring during the night')

    If someone has broken into your house, day or night, you have the legal right to shoot them.

    HOWEVER, no matter what LEGAL right you have to do this, if you exercise your right to defend yourself, you can be pretty much assured that you WILL be sued in civil court... The instructor in the Concealed Carry class said that if you ever have to use your gun, no matter how legally in the right you are, expect to spend at MINIMUM of $10,000 defending yourself and your financial future.

    Obviously, you can also use lethal force to stop a murder, rape, assault etc... I understand the logic of it, but found it rather humorous that the law specifically does NOT allow you to use lethal force to stop an attempted murder if the person is trying to murder themself... "Don't jump off that bridge, or I'll shoot!"

    Okay, let the anti-Texas 'they're just a bunch of blood-lusting hillbillies' comments begin...

    (Oh, and ironically, I carry a gun every day, (Springfield Armory Micro 1911 .45ACP w/ Tritium sights) and would not hesitate to use it if it were needed, but I'm staunchly against the death penalty, but that's another rambling thought)

  14. Something similiar existed on the Amiga on Computers Paraphrase English · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Back in the late 1980's I had a word processor for my Amiga that had a function whereby it would do a global search and replace of every Xth word (User settable) with a synonym from the built in Theasarus... Very handy for those term papers I so hated in high school...

    I'm assuming this (Of course I didn't RTFA) is far more advanced than what we had back then, but the idea for this has been around for quite a while at least...

  15. Republicans Outsourcing Fundraising to India on The Unstoppable Shift of IT Jobs Overseas · · Score: 1

    Not just IT..... Looks like the Republican party is outsourcing it's fund raising activities to an Indian call center...

    http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=343 23

    Another point - Joe Sixpack might not shed a tear for US IT jobs being shipped overseas, but he WILL get irate when he calls for support for his shiny new Dell, and Apu in Mumbai answers the phone... This is where the offshoring scheme is going to start getting sticky, when consumers start getting fed up with talking to someone in India whenever they call a helpdesk for a product they've purchased...

    Another sad part is, this is going to start rising animosity and zenophobia against Indians in general.....

  16. Mouse with trackball in it on New Microsoft Mouse Scrolls Both Ways · · Score: 4, Informative

    ...You mean like the Tecstorm TSOTS1?

    http://www.tecstorm.co.uk/tsots1.htm

    Another link - http://www.hardwareoptions.com/merchant.mv?Screen= PROD&Store_Code=HO&Product_code=MI14032

    I'd honestly never heard of it before this article, but after reading the idea of a mouse with a trackball in it, the idea seemed intriguing, so I did a quick Google for "trackball in mouse" and found that one... Looks interesting... Anyone ever used one?

  17. Re:Not an AK-47 mag... on MP3 Player In An AK-47 Magazine · · Score: 3, Funny

    Give 'em a break, they're British! Since their government has decided it doesn't trust it's citizens with weapons, they wouldn't know an AK-47 magazine from an AR-15 magazine...

    For what it's worth, I concur on your observations...

  18. Re:CNN IRC newsticker? on Strike on Iraq · · Score: 3, Informative

    If anyone's still reading this thread, I finally found one...

    Pick an Idlenet server (http://www.idlenet.org/servers/)

    and go to channel #cnn-live

  19. Re:CNN IRC newsticker? on Strike on Iraq · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I haven't tested this yet, but one of the hits I got googling for 'cnn irc' was this:

    If you point an IRC client to chat.cnn.com and then join the channel #CNN_Newsfeed, you get a continuous transcript, all caps and in short lines, of what CNN is currently broadcasting on television.

  20. Re:Garage door war driving... on Warflying: San Diego · · Score: 1

    Most of the modern keyless entry systems on cars employ an anti-hacking feature where the system 'listens' for repeated broadcasts on it's frequency using different combinations of the PIN. If it detects this happening, it assumes someone is trying an attack, and shuts the remote system down for X minutes.
    This way, the system is 'safe' from being hacked into, but the legit owner, who has a real key as well, can still easily get into the vehicle, they might have to set their groceries down first is all.....

  21. Pictures of cell towers disguised as trees on Peer-to-Peer Cell Phones? · · Score: 3, Informative

    And if anyone wants pictures/more info on the new trend of disguising cell towers as trees:

    http://www.signaltower.com/cellular_tower_tree.h tm

  22. And if you live in Texas on Disconnecting Telemarketers · · Score: 5, Informative

    And if you live in Texas - http://www.texasnocall.com/

    And for what it's worth, it works, my spam-calls have gone to nearly zero (I still get charity calls)... The other thing to cut way down on spam-calls is this magic phrase - 'Please put me on your do not call list. Thank you.'...

  23. Slightly off topic, but related... on CIA Warns China Might Be Planning Cyber Attack · · Score: 1

    I've seen several references to blocking the entire IP space of China/Asia/whatever. I've searched, and so far have been unable to find where it is listed what IP ranges belong to what geographic areas. I'm sure this info if really easy to find when you know what keywords to search on, but so far I've had no luck. Where could I find the IP ranges of known spam-originating countries so that I can block messages from them myself?

    Thanks!

  24. Re:Commodore 64 web server on Running A Web Server On An Apple Lisa 2 · · Score: 1

    Actually, Commodore sold more 64's in 1991 than any other year. Remember when Eastern Europe opened up? Commodore capitalized on that in a big way and sold a ton of 64's there in the early 90's, right before they (Commodore) went under...

  25. Dan Quayle Knew All Along! on Mars Odyssey Detects Signs of Water · · Score: 3, Funny

    Mars is essentially in the same orbit... Mars is somewhat the same distance from the Sun, which is very important. We have seen pictures where there are canals, we believe, and water. If there is water, that means there is oxygen. If oxygen, that means we can breathe.
    -- Vice President Dan Quayle, 8/11/89 (reported in Esquire, 8/92)