Depends on your POV. There are ways to make money from sucky Windows experiences (I fix machines for others often enough!) and the more complex and burdensome using Windows becomes for Jow Sixpack, the more he will be open to alternatives.
'Ideally I would run the scan by unplugging the network cable and booting from directly the malware-scanner CD. Unfortunately nobody makes such a thing"
Plenty of people "make' them, but they are homebrew jobs because users prefer CDs packed with every prog they can throw on them. BartPE and WinPE live CDs haven't caught up with Knoppix yet, but they will run many useful apps. The combination of a live CD and a USB key can be quite handy too.
Google "bartpe antivirus" for starters, and check out:
"Here's the problem. Frogs live in the ponds by the cooling towers."
Offer a solution and maybe make some money. All the Feds need to do is dump a 50 gallon drum of diazinon into the pools every now and then. It kills aquatic life nicely.
Then by WHICH Muslim societies should I judge Islam?
"Could it have something to do with the west often financing those of their leaders that are fascist strongmen like Musharraf, Hussein, the Shah of Iran, and Suharto?"
MMkay, how about IRAN? They tossed the Shah, have had free reign to establish an Islamic society, and are ruled by Mullahs. No secular Saddams in sight.
" negative blanket statements about 1.2 billion VERY VERY diverse Muslims on Earth is also hate crime..."
No, it is mere insult. Insult is not a crime, except under Islam, which does not tolerate a wide variety of other Free Speech. You are invited to make all the derogatory cartoons of me you like, and of my beliefs (I'm theism-free). It bothers me not.
I've deployed to the richest Muslim societies on the planet, and seen the best they can do under the guidance of your oppressive, barbaric, pseudo-Nazi superstition. I will not yield to demands to change our social discourse just because it is not on Islamic (or Christian, Jewish, Scientologist, etc) terms.
"Hama Rules" were the only viable response to Muslim terrorism. When guerillas swim among their supporters like the proverbial fish in the sea, one must dry up the sea. In an era of unconventional war, so-called "war crimes" are actually the proper response. We conveniently forget all the "war crimes" the Allies committed to win WWII, and the post-Nuremburg fetish for imposing laws only on our own side isn't getting us anywhere.
One mans Free Speech is another mans Flamebait. He has no obligation to anyones idea of "fairness".
If I get to censor everything that hurts my pwecious wittle feelings then I can use that power to strangle YOUR free expression. Everything and everyone, self included, should be open to ridicule. Ridicule is not slander or libel, but it can be used as an effective technique to get people thinking about raging against (any) machine. Religions and other political ideologies (superstition doesn't make religion not political) must be open targets in any secular free society.
"He's flamebaiting people who are as protective of their religion as American Evangelicals are of theirs."
My Evangelical friends know I think their beliefs are superstition, but they know I believe in freedom to choose. No one has declared a fatwah on me yet. We don't have punishment towers (as in KSA) nor do we stone folks to death for adultery. The various Christian sects aren't setting each others children on fire to chase them out of the neighborhood...
"I've heard that the military calls this "Spiking" a drive as they drive a railroad spike through the platters. But who knows if that's true or not."
Maybe back in the old days of physically large drives and troops who knew what a railroad spike looks like! What I've seen is running a drill bit through the case and/or smashing with a sledge hammer. Nowadays drive/media shredders are the cool way to go.
"The human body is too complex for a machine to encompass and predict all possible outcomes."
It's too complex for a physician to predict all possible outcomes. Given the minimal time allowed each patient and the extreme pressure to see many patients while coping with all his/her other duties, technology as a medical "force multiplier" will become ever more necessary to empower the doctor as a "care supervisor".
"Distancing doctors from patients, and life from reality may prove a nasty combo."
I'd rather have a stable "machine tool" used to cut me for surgery than a less-precise human hand. Let the surgeons brain have a better interface with my repair process than just his imprecise fingers.
This has nothing to do with "distancing" and everything to do with precision and control. If you want to use the tools they used on Mel Gibson in "Braveheart", have at it, but the point of advancing medical tech is to improve effectiveness.
"Why are so many of their consumers complete nutcases?"
The same reason consumers of other "stuff" (including religious and political ideologies) are nutcases.
Nutcases aren't curable, so the only logical thing to do is take advantage of them and use their faults as a tool to sell them "stuff" (including religious and political ideologies!).
"Oh geez can you imagine if the Internet had been around when Anne Frank was alive? "
Amateur radio fulfilled clandestine commo functions when Anne was alive. Monitoring consisted of crews waiting to DX your transmitter if you went "online". "Liveblogging" back then was rather hazardous...
"Wow, you really don't think before you write, eh?"
Surveillance data can be subpoenaed if necessary. If I am accused of an act and can use data proving that I couldn't have done that act, I'm fine with the systems that gathered that data.
I'm familiar. McCarty was disposed of by the system functioning as designed because of his false accusations. Surveillance data would have been a weapon to defend the innocent, for data works both ways.
As for measures against actual Communists and they sympathizers, I have no problem with that. In the context of the Cold War, there was no reason to protect Communists at all. My preferred solution to Communists and Marxists involves a machine gun and a ditch because there is nothing to discuss between such enemies. The US anti-Red measures were so mild as to be trivial.
"destroy the drives as opposed to Zeroing them out and selling them second hand."
The time to wipe and process them for sale is easily worth more than the drive. That's like erasing a floppy disk to save it, not to mention that destroying them ensures no files will be recovered.
"They" rarely come for everybody, though there is much invested in implying that "they" will. History is informative here, and IMO the risk in the US that "they" will ever come for "me" is nil. Many other people, realizing that this is true for them, are fine with "them" coming for the fellows they oppose.
I realize that I should burst into some sort of idealistic frenzy that the "rights" of my enemy might be violated, but my attitude is "screw him, send him half way to Gitmo and push him overboard". I don't favor a fair playing field for cultural enemies in the war with Isl..."terrorists" and am fine with it turning into a dirty war (as if the other sort were clean...).
"Except "these people" haven't done anything to directly harm me or my family or friends."
Yet, that you know of...hence the need for exposure of Scientology as a confidence game masquerading as a religion.
I don't like ANY superstition gaining power, but opposing the IslamoNazis and the Christian Taliban does not exclude opposing Scientologists. Fight them all. They deserve it!
I'm 48 and agree with you completely. Your post is not flamebait. Many older folks won't even use improved tech they ARE familiar with because of some visceral fear of change or ingrained habits.
An experienced mechanic I know is too cheap to install a two-post auto life he can easily afford (and which would turn him a nice profit by speeding his work) but the lunkhead sticks with floor jacks and jack stands. I don't know the name of this sort of thought process, but it's quite common.
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It's simple enough to fly above shotgun range. If UAVs were easy to hit, Hadji would be downing them in Iraq and A-stan.
"Not a pretty picture."
Depends on your POV. There are ways to make money from sucky Windows experiences (I fix machines for others often enough!) and the more complex and burdensome using Windows becomes for Jow Sixpack, the more he will be open to alternatives.
'Ideally I would run the scan by unplugging the network cable and booting from directly the malware-scanner CD. Unfortunately nobody makes such a thing"
Plenty of people "make' them, but they are homebrew jobs because users prefer CDs packed with every prog they can throw on them. BartPE and WinPE live CDs haven't caught up with Knoppix yet, but they will run many useful apps. The combination of a live CD and a USB key can be quite handy too.
Google "bartpe antivirus" for starters, and check out:
http://www.911cd.net/forums/
"When Iran was getting close to having a stable secular government, it was wiped out by the US."
That was not an Islamic government. What Iran has now, is.
"Because Muslims are standing up seriously for what they believe. They fight, they sacrifice their lives for their beliefs."
So did the Nazis and the Khmer Rouge.
Physical courage emboldened by fanatic ideology is cheap and common.
"Here's the problem. Frogs live in the ponds by the cooling towers."
Offer a solution and maybe make some money. All the Feds need to do is dump a 50 gallon drum of diazinon into the pools every now and then. It kills aquatic life nicely.
"No, Islam itself is not the problem."
Then by WHICH Muslim societies should I judge Islam?
"Could it have something to do with the west often financing those of their leaders that are fascist strongmen like Musharraf, Hussein, the Shah of Iran, and Suharto?"
MMkay, how about IRAN? They tossed the Shah, have had free reign to establish an Islamic society, and are ruled by Mullahs. No secular Saddams in sight.
" negative blanket statements about 1.2 billion VERY VERY diverse Muslims on Earth is also hate crime..."
No, it is mere insult. Insult is not a crime, except under Islam, which does not tolerate a wide variety of other Free Speech.
You are invited to make all the derogatory cartoons of me you like, and of my beliefs (I'm theism-free). It bothers me not.
I've deployed to the richest Muslim societies on the planet, and seen the best they can do under the guidance of your oppressive, barbaric, pseudo-Nazi superstition. I will not yield to demands to change our social discourse just because it is not on Islamic (or Christian, Jewish, Scientologist, etc) terms.
Your Prophet can kiss my fat white arse.
"Hama Rules" were the only viable response to Muslim terrorism.
When guerillas swim among their supporters like the proverbial fish in the sea, one must dry up the sea. In an era of unconventional war, so-called "war crimes" are actually the proper response. We conveniently forget all the "war crimes" the Allies committed to win WWII, and the post-Nuremburg fetish for imposing laws only on our own side isn't getting us anywhere.
One mans Free Speech is another mans Flamebait. He has no obligation to anyones idea of "fairness".
If I get to censor everything that hurts my pwecious wittle feelings then I can use that power to strangle YOUR free expression. Everything and everyone, self included, should be open to ridicule. Ridicule is not slander or libel, but it can be used as an effective technique to get people thinking about raging against (any) machine. Religions and other political ideologies (superstition doesn't make religion not political) must be open targets in any secular free society.
"He's flamebaiting people who are as protective of their religion as American Evangelicals are of theirs."
My Evangelical friends know I think their beliefs are superstition, but they know I believe in freedom to choose. No one has declared a fatwah on me yet. We don't have punishment towers (as in KSA) nor do we stone folks to death for adultery. The various Christian sects aren't setting each others children on fire to chase them out of the neighborhood...
"I've heard that the military calls this "Spiking" a drive as they drive a railroad spike through the platters. But who knows if that's true or not."
Maybe back in the old days of physically large drives and troops who knew what a railroad spike looks like!
What I've seen is running a drill bit through the case and/or smashing with a sledge hammer. Nowadays drive/media shredders are the cool way to go.
"The human body is too complex for a machine to encompass and predict all possible outcomes."
It's too complex for a physician to predict all possible outcomes. Given the minimal time allowed each patient and the extreme pressure to see many patients while coping with all his/her other duties, technology as a medical "force multiplier" will become ever more necessary to empower the doctor as a "care supervisor".
"Distancing doctors from patients, and life from reality may prove a nasty combo."
I'd rather have a stable "machine tool" used to cut me for surgery than a less-precise human hand. Let the surgeons brain have a better interface with my repair process than just his imprecise fingers.
This has nothing to do with "distancing" and everything to do with precision and control. If you want to use the tools they used on Mel Gibson in "Braveheart", have at it, but the point of advancing medical tech is to improve effectiveness.
"Why are so many of their consumers complete nutcases?"
The same reason consumers of other "stuff" (including religious and political ideologies) are nutcases.
Nutcases aren't curable, so the only logical thing to do is take advantage of them and use their faults as a tool to sell them "stuff" (including religious and political ideologies!).
Never give a sucker an even break.
"Oh geez can you imagine if the Internet had been around when Anne Frank was alive? "
Amateur radio fulfilled clandestine commo functions when Anne was alive. Monitoring consisted of crews waiting to DX your transmitter if you went "online". "Liveblogging" back then was rather hazardous...
"When I was young the police used to watch over the people, now they're watching the people."
No one living is that old.
"Wow, you really don't think before you write, eh?"
Surveillance data can be subpoenaed if necessary. If I am accused of an act and can use data proving that I couldn't have done that act, I'm fine with the systems that gathered that data.
"I suggest you read McCarthyism."
I'm familiar. McCarty was disposed of by the system functioning as designed because of his false accusations. Surveillance data would have been a weapon to defend the innocent, for data works both ways.
As for measures against actual Communists and they sympathizers, I have no problem with that. In the context of the Cold War, there was no reason to protect Communists at all. My preferred solution to Communists and Marxists involves a machine gun and a ditch because there is nothing to discuss between such enemies. The US anti-Red measures were so mild as to be trivial.
Sacrificing the other fellows freedom for _my_ security I find an acceptable tradeoff.
Paying an employee to sit and zero the drives instead of doing their job is an expensive way to "give them away for free".
"destroy the drives as opposed to Zeroing them out and selling them second hand."
The time to wipe and process them for sale is easily worth more than the drive. That's like erasing a floppy disk to save it, not to mention that destroying them ensures no files will be recovered.
"They" rarely come for everybody, though there is much invested in implying that "they" will.
History is informative here, and IMO the risk in the US that "they" will ever come for "me" is nil.
Many other people, realizing that this is true for them, are fine with "them" coming for the fellows they oppose.
I realize that I should burst into some sort of idealistic frenzy that the "rights" of my enemy might be violated, but my attitude is "screw him, send him half way to Gitmo and push him overboard". I don't favor a fair playing field for cultural enemies in the war with Isl..."terrorists" and am fine with it turning into a dirty war (as if the other sort were clean...).
The affordable car back in the 1920s was the Ford Model T, which dropped to about $300 in 1927. They went for about a grand in 1908.
"Except "these people" haven't done anything to directly harm me or my family or friends."
Yet, that you know of...hence the need for exposure of Scientology as a confidence game masquerading as a religion.
I don't like ANY superstition gaining power, but opposing the IslamoNazis and the Christian Taliban does not exclude opposing Scientologists. Fight them all. They deserve it!
I'm 48 and agree with you completely. Your post is not flamebait.
Many older folks won't even use improved tech they ARE familiar with because of some visceral fear of change or ingrained habits.
An experienced mechanic I know is too cheap to install a two-post auto life he can easily afford (and which would turn him a nice profit by speeding his work) but the lunkhead sticks with floor jacks and jack stands. I don't know the name of this sort of thought process, but it's quite common.