" Put a hard legal limit on the processing power any person is allowed to possess. Measured in gigaflops or some other metric. The same way most places have legal limitations on what kinds of weapons a person is allowed to possess. There is no moral difference between a computer and a weapon. Both can be used for good or harm. Alternatively.. make it a crime to use facial recognition software without the consent of the person who's face is to be recognized."
Once that technology-stifling legal limit is in place, it will be difficult to change. What looks like a good idea one day seems absurd the next. Obligatory "640K ought to be enough for anybody" reference...
As for the software, how will use be (realistically) controllable? You can punish detected misuse within your legal and physical reach, which in the information age isn't very far. I could legally take pictures of someone in public, post them, and they could be analyzed offshore.
"If you saw it back in the Cold War era, it was actually a very good movie."
I did, and while mildly entertaining it was as absurd as most Hollywood depictions of anything to do with the military. It's overrated because it features "hackers". Like motorcyclists, geeks are so grateful to see anything to do with their interest on the big screen they view it with rose-tinted glasses.
All the offenders listed were 17 at the time of the offence, hardly the popular conception of "children" the use of the term obviously sought to invoke! They were "fucking grown up" enough to do what they did> Their days of playing hopscotch were long over, methinks.
These folks were just under the arbitrary cutoff of 18, had comitted acts that were on examination heinous enough that the death penalty was sought by the state, and were tried and convicted by jury. It is easy to believe they were beyond redemption, and apparently their juries did. If the crimes they committed were against you or someone you knew would you be so quick to invoke Amnesty International or would you be wanting them euthanized and turned off forever?
"willing to spend a reasonable amount to buy the software." Given what the software costs I can upgrade or replace my older machine. The holidays are here, and afterwards there will be even more free and cheap computers available that will run fine with a fresh 'nix install.
Americans buy the home with the largest square-footage they can get and efficiency be damned. Our building codes do not encourage efficient new construction, and buyers do not demand quality components as are often used in Europe. As long as energy is cheap, they will continue to do this.
"PC's are either tools or toys to them." Exactly. That's why I demonstrate live CDs and THEN give them away. A machine at work refused to finish booting, and we are down to an airman who only knows to format and reload. (Users aren't Administrators on their boxes much anymore, which would be good if we hadn't got rid of most of our skilled workgroup managers...) I unplugged the machine from the network, booted Knoppix, burned the needed files to external DVD, and played some of the music I found while I was at it. User was happy his records were saved.
Why would that (in the grand scheme of things) minor crime be what you require to act? The rest of Russia and its neighbors don't matter but if he deletes a chess player that is a trigger event?
"The stereotype of the 65 year old retired operator in a motorised chair isn't too far from the truth."
I'm 47, and while the old operators I've met are an interesting bunch, I can't find enough reason to become an operator myself. We don't have anything in common to talk about.
"I forsee the day that usage is low enough that governments can justify clawing back more of the spectrum."
Works the disaster response angle. MARS (which must have been wonderful in the pre-PC days) is no longer necessary with the advent of email.
That will not be missed as alternative coin-reception techniques have been developed. "Juicies" in the Phillipines have perfected a very entertaining way of picking up stacked change from atop a San Miguel bottle. The more skillful can return the stack coin-by-coin. Shouts to any Nipa Hut or Fire Empire patrons in da house!:)
I don't carry a GPS, but would buy one if I were travelling through hazardous areas like the unfortunate Mr Kim.
I don't go down backroads with which I am not utterly familiar without printing out "hybrid" Google Maps (I print screencaps since otherwise the photos portion does not print for me). This is worth it just for picking up junk cars, let alone long distance travel. I also carry a truckers atlas under the seat. The time it saves pays for it quickly. I wouldn't be in a wilderness area without a CB radio, and I don't go anywhere nasty without enough cold weather gear to _comfortably_ walk out.
Poor Mr Kim thought like a city-dweller. If you are not familiar with what to do and not well-equipped to do it, stay on main highways and out of the boondocks.
If the USAF (or a faction thereof) actually wants to kill/shrink the buy of this overpriced, useless for COIN, financial competitor to the F-22 then this is a shrewd move. They can say that a Brit refusal to buy is going to drive unit cost through the roof, which it will.
The USAF is under severe financial strain due to (love the buzzword) "recapitalization". It is thrashing to adapt to the 40,000 airman (from enlisted to Colonels!) drawdown, mission-capable rates are in the toilet, and if things stay as they are we'll have Hollow Force II on our hands.
Instead of the F-35, we (the US AND NATO) need a robust, affordable, simple-to-maintain attack/COIN aircraft. Helos are soft targets that can never not be vulnerable to MANPADS and RPGs. Jets are too fast to provide the best BAS and don't have long loiter times.
It is no accident that the aircraft the US has used for CAS/COIN have been older, slower, and tougher. (P-47 Thunderbolt, F-4 Corsair, A-1 Skyraider, and A-10 Thunderbolt II). The USAF does not like doing CAS/BAS and had to be pushed into buying the A-10. Expect UAVs to take over this icky job so the fighter mafia can stick to aerial duelling.
OTOH, there are plenty of people to choose from who have never been arrested and have flawless credit checks and background history.
If I see, for example, a DUI arrest (with or without conviction) coupled with a poor credit check, these are reasonable indicators that an applicant does not have their shit together. I don't need unreliable employees. They demoralize the good workers and generally are a pain in the arse.
"You or I could get arrested tomorrow for doing absolutely nothing, on our way to deliver toys to sick children."
We could also get struck by lightning. I get along fine with police and have no worries on that score. If I got arrested for something by mistake I'd have zero problem asking an interviewer if they wanted full copies of all relevant paperwork, which I would have ready. I would not wait to BE asked, and go out of my way to point to verifiable sources showing an error was made. I value my security clearance so I'd do the right (and smart) thing.
Handy tip from my much younger days: Do you know that if a cop is considering arrest that you can offer to voluntarily go with them to the station instead? I did this, and after asking a few questions they sent me on my way. I think it surprised them more than anything, but it's legal and they don't have to do arrest paperwork.
Jammers and mine detonation tools as you describe are in use, but they don't do anything against command-detonated bombs that are controlled by wire, or against VBIEDs (car/truck bombs). People make cheap detonators and are hard to jam if you don't see them first.
"I guess someone standing there with a rucksack full of explosives and going BOOM during a heavy traffic time, say the day before Thanksgiving, never occured to our overlords."
Then it's just another boring suicide bombing instead of a dramatic plane crash.
Less entertainment value equals less terrorism value.
A background check could filter out a lot of bad people.
From TFA:
"According to Dawn Cappelli, a senior member at Carnegie Mellon University's Computer Emergency Response Team, a 2006 study showed that 30% of insiders who are caught launching an attack against their employers have arrest records, and that those charges don't generally include computer crimes. Some 18% were for violent offenses such as rape and manslaughter, 11% were for alcohol- and drug-related offenses, and another 11% were for theft."
Coupling background checks with secure systems gets the benefits of both.
You are ALMOST correct. "IED" is a more "modern" term than "land mine", "command-detonated (remote controlled) mine", or car/truck bomb. The White House didn't invent it. It's a military term that gives the impression this stuff is "new" and by implication less forseeable.
"booby trap -- Military slang. Any one of a huge variety of explosive devices, often homemade, hidden and designed to kill or wound when an unsuspecting Marine or RF hit the tripwire (triggering device). The VC mastered the art of using booby traps and we used many tricks to avoid them. Deadliest of all were the "command-detonated" booby traps -- an explosive device alongside a trail set off by a hidden VC when Marines walked by. Late in 1970 we got an order from above to stop calling them "booby traps" in official reports -- we were supposed to start calling them "surprise firing devices."
If they have a point of contact at an Eastern airlift base like McGuire or Dover, they could easily take the items to a terminal, have them inspected, and ship them to the theater. Doing stuff like this is just a matter of asking the right people.
Routing that stuff throught the Supply system is a spectacular asspain.
The easier way to do it is use the GPC to buy items Supply does not provide. The unit government purchase card holder can be authorized by the commander to charge items available outside Supply. It works like a normal credit card and most businesses accept it.
That said, many G.I.s buy their own gear and consumables for convenience and so we can own and modify it.
"constant game of catch-up and workarounds for the select few in the know"
This has fascinating potential for spoofing. If, in the future, we can expect to be tracked as a "package" of our worn and carried emitters, we can have a pre-built alternate package ready for use.
While "my" emitters could be providing an alibi, a throwaway set could mask my actions elsewhere.
Slashdot Mirror
" Put a hard legal limit on the processing power any person is allowed to possess. Measured in gigaflops or some other metric. The same way most places have legal limitations on what kinds of weapons a person is allowed to possess. There is no moral difference between a computer and a weapon. Both can be used for good or harm. Alternatively.. make it a crime to use facial recognition software without the consent of the person who's face is to be recognized."
Once that technology-stifling legal limit is in place, it will be difficult to change. What looks like a good idea one day seems absurd the next. Obligatory "640K ought to be enough for anybody" reference...
As for the software, how will use be (realistically) controllable? You can punish detected misuse within your legal and physical reach, which in the information age isn't very far. I could legally take pictures of someone in public, post them, and they could be analyzed offshore.
"If you saw it back in the Cold War era, it was actually a very good movie."
I did, and while mildly entertaining it was as absurd as most Hollywood depictions of anything to do with the military.
It's overrated because it features "hackers".
Like motorcyclists, geeks are so grateful to see anything to do with their interest on the big screen they view it with rose-tinted glasses.
All the offenders listed were 17 at the time of the offence, hardly the popular conception of "children" the use of the term obviously sought to invoke! They were "fucking grown up" enough to do what they did>
Their days of playing hopscotch were long over, methinks.
These folks were just under the arbitrary cutoff of 18, had comitted acts that were on examination heinous enough that the death penalty was sought by the state, and were tried and convicted by jury.
It is easy to believe they were beyond redemption, and apparently their juries did. If the crimes they committed were against you or someone you knew would you be so quick to invoke Amnesty International or would you be wanting them euthanized and turned off forever?
"willing to spend a reasonable amount to buy the software."
Given what the software costs I can upgrade or replace my older machine.
The holidays are here, and afterwards there will be even more free and cheap computers available that will run fine with a fresh 'nix install.
Americans buy the home with the largest square-footage they can get and efficiency be damned. Our building codes do not encourage efficient new construction, and buyers do not demand quality components as are often used in Europe.
As long as energy is cheap, they will continue to do this.
"PC's are either tools or toys to them."
Exactly. That's why I demonstrate live CDs and THEN give them away.
A machine at work refused to finish booting, and we are down to an airman who only knows to format and reload. (Users aren't Administrators on their boxes much anymore, which would be good if we hadn't got rid of most of our skilled workgroup managers...)
I unplugged the machine from the network, booted Knoppix, burned the needed files to external DVD, and played some of the music I found while I was at it. User was happy his records were saved.
Why would that (in the grand scheme of things) minor crime be what you require to act?
The rest of Russia and its neighbors don't matter but if he deletes a chess player that is a trigger event?
"The stereotype of the 65 year old retired operator in a motorised chair isn't too far from the truth."
I'm 47, and while the old operators I've met are an interesting bunch, I can't find enough reason to become an operator myself.
We don't have anything in common to talk about.
"I forsee the day that usage is low enough that governments can justify clawing back more of the spectrum."
Works the disaster response angle.
MARS (which must have been wonderful in the pre-PC days) is no longer necessary with the advent of email.
Visited once while killing time between "hops" back to da Kun' in 1984. :(
Damn Pinatubo made certain I'd never get orders to Clark, unfortunately.
That will not be missed as alternative coin-reception techniques have been developed. :)
"Juicies" in the Phillipines have perfected a very entertaining way of picking up stacked change from atop a San Miguel bottle. The more skillful can return the stack coin-by-coin.
Shouts to any Nipa Hut or Fire Empire patrons in da house!
In the military we call it Mandatory Fun.
Does he know if any specimens were saved for possible cloning in the future?
I don't carry a GPS, but would buy one if I were travelling through hazardous areas like the unfortunate Mr Kim.
I don't go down backroads with which I am not utterly familiar without printing out "hybrid" Google Maps (I print screencaps since otherwise the photos portion does not print for me). This is worth it just for picking up junk cars, let alone long distance travel. I also carry a truckers atlas under the seat. The time it saves pays for it quickly.
I wouldn't be in a wilderness area without a CB radio, and I don't go anywhere nasty without enough cold weather gear to _comfortably_ walk out.
Poor Mr Kim thought like a city-dweller. If you are not familiar with what to do and not well-equipped to do it, stay on main highways and out of the boondocks.
If the USAF (or a faction thereof) actually wants to kill/shrink the buy of this overpriced, useless for COIN, financial competitor to the F-22 then this is a shrewd move. They can say that a Brit refusal to buy is going to drive unit cost through the roof, which it will.
The USAF is under severe financial strain due to (love the buzzword) "recapitalization". It is thrashing to adapt to the 40,000 airman (from enlisted to Colonels!) drawdown, mission-capable rates are in the toilet, and if things stay as they are we'll have Hollow Force II on our hands.
Instead of the F-35, we (the US AND NATO) need a robust, affordable, simple-to-maintain attack/COIN aircraft. Helos are soft targets that can never not be vulnerable to MANPADS and RPGs. Jets are too fast to provide the best BAS and don't have long loiter times.
It is no accident that the aircraft the US has used for CAS/COIN have been older, slower, and tougher. (P-47 Thunderbolt, F-4 Corsair, A-1 Skyraider, and A-10 Thunderbolt II). The USAF does not like doing CAS/BAS and had to be pushed into buying the A-10. Expect UAVs to take over this icky job so the fighter mafia can stick to aerial duelling.
OTOH, there are plenty of people to choose from who have never been arrested and have flawless credit checks and background history.
If I see, for example, a DUI arrest (with or without conviction) coupled with a poor credit check, these are reasonable indicators that an applicant does not have their shit together. I don't need unreliable employees. They demoralize the good workers and generally are a pain in the arse.
"You or I could get arrested tomorrow for doing absolutely nothing, on our way to deliver toys to sick children."
We could also get struck by lightning.
I get along fine with police and have no worries on that score.
If I got arrested for something by mistake I'd have zero problem asking an interviewer if they wanted full copies of all relevant paperwork, which I would have ready.
I would not wait to BE asked, and go out of my way to point to verifiable sources showing an error was made.
I value my security clearance so I'd do the right (and smart) thing.
Handy tip from my much younger days:
Do you know that if a cop is considering arrest that you can offer to voluntarily go with them to the station instead?
I did this, and after asking a few questions they sent me on my way. I think it surprised them more than anything, but it's legal and they don't have to do arrest paperwork.
Jammers and mine detonation tools as you describe are in use, but they don't do anything against command-detonated bombs that are controlled by wire, or against VBIEDs (car/truck bombs).
People make cheap detonators and are hard to jam if you don't see them first.
"I guess someone standing there with a rucksack full of explosives and going BOOM during a heavy traffic time, say the day before Thanksgiving, never occured to our overlords."
Then it's just another boring suicide bombing instead of a dramatic plane crash.
Less entertainment value equals less terrorism value.
A background check could filter out a lot of bad people.
From TFA:
"According to Dawn Cappelli, a senior member at Carnegie Mellon University's Computer Emergency Response Team, a 2006 study showed that 30% of insiders who are caught launching an attack against their employers have arrest records, and that those charges don't generally include computer crimes. Some 18% were for violent offenses such as rape and manslaughter, 11% were for alcohol- and drug-related offenses, and another 11% were for theft."
Coupling background checks with secure systems gets the benefits of both.
You are ALMOST correct.
"IED" is a more "modern" term than "land mine", "command-detonated (remote controlled) mine", or car/truck bomb.
The White House didn't invent it.
It's a military term that gives the impression this stuff is "new" and by implication less forseeable.
Such spin isn't new:
http://capmarine.com/cap/glossary.htm#B
"booby trap -- Military slang. Any one of a huge variety of explosive devices, often homemade, hidden and designed to kill or wound when an unsuspecting Marine or RF hit the tripwire (triggering device). The VC mastered the art of using booby traps and we used many tricks to avoid them. Deadliest of all were the "command-detonated" booby traps -- an explosive device alongside a trail set off by a hidden VC when Marines walked by. Late in 1970 we got an order from above to stop calling them "booby traps" in official reports -- we were supposed to start calling them "surprise firing devices."
We still call them that, but the airmen don't learn the term in Basic anymore.
If they have a point of contact at an Eastern airlift base like McGuire or Dover, they could easily take the items to a terminal, have them inspected, and ship them to the theater.
Doing stuff like this is just a matter of asking the right people.
Routing that stuff throught the Supply system is a spectacular asspain.
The easier way to do it is use the GPC to buy items Supply does not provide.
The unit government purchase card holder can be authorized by the commander to charge items available outside Supply.
It works like a normal credit card and most businesses accept it.
That said, many G.I.s buy their own gear and consumables for convenience and so we can own and modify it.
"It is time to embrace our technology enhanced future."
How do you expect to fund this?
"constant game of catch-up and workarounds for the select few in the know"
This has fascinating potential for spoofing.
If, in the future, we can expect to be tracked as a "package" of our worn and carried emitters, we can have a pre-built alternate package ready for use.
While "my" emitters could be providing an alibi, a throwaway set could mask my actions elsewhere.
"What to chose? Hmmm... What to chose?"
:P
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