This is a fantastic way to (help) deal with a nasty problem... Instead of broad, over-reaching laws, make the companies liable for misue of the data, and therefore disinclined to collect it, and therby gain liability, in the first place. Of course, if the data is trully vital, they will still collect it, but will be much more likley to take steps neccesary to protect it properly. I think this approach works much better than a law against colecting it in certain/most cases.
Linux is free? Well, the code is - the implementation, on the other hand...
I think it's akin to checking a book out of the libary when you need something done - sure, the information is free, but you still have to pay someone to implement it, that is, to actually solve your problem. Of course, the idea is that once you've solved the problem, you add your solution back to the library, so it takes the next person less time to do it.
Obviously, the guy is a whiner... but the last paragraph of the MSNBC article is interesting:
" The lawsuit also demands that buyers and sellers, who use aliases in eBay transactions, register their screen names with the state of California as fictitious business names, and that eBay be forced to collect state sales tax."
This seems to have little to do with his complaint; but making everyone register with the state Secretary of State would be a big deal! So your name would be Your Name, d.b.a (doing buisines as...) screename. Christ, what a mess... Can someone who is a Calfornian and or a lawyer comment on paying sales tax on USED items? I know that here in RI, sales tax is only on (some) new sales - used goods (and many new goods) are exemt.
Actually, Antartica isn't just a piece of live, like the north pole is; actually, it is a proper continent, covered with an ice sheet. Perhaps a minor distinction, but I remember Rush Limbauh making an argument that global warming doesn't matter because when a piece of ice melts in a glass of water, the level doesn't go up; similarly, he argued, if the polar ice caps melted, it would just get warmer, no sea level change. Then someone pointed out that Antartica is actually a piece of land with ice ON TOP of it...
Actually, this will work to convert ANY card into a 9700 - simply take the card (no matter how old) and jam your soldering gun into it, go to CompUSA and buy a 9700. Easy as that!
OK - here is a better idea: let's limit traffic on pt 25...
say you get 100 transmissions per hour on pt 25 without penalty; then any more than that are allowed at 50% reduced bandwith, and the next 50 at 75% reduced, and so forth; this would make spam all but impossible over 25 ( I don't mean limiting point to point connections, but ALL connections on 25 would eb considered in aggreate)
If you need to send bulk mail (mailing lists, and so forth) you should be connecting to the network which hosts the SMTP anyway - or do it via a VPN setup. There really isn't a reason to be transmiting traffic across a wan in bulk - personal use (which would rarley exceed 100/hr, and if it did, wouldn't be hurt by the 50% slowdown.)
I agree that penalizing acceptable use to fight spam is worse than spam itself - but this seems like a good idea to fight the problem without creating more problems
I've spent several years working as a dockhand for large yachts (100-200 feet). While these boats arn't as big as the tankers and cargo ships which will utilize the magnet system, the manuvering and handleing is similar. Dock lines are not just used to hold the ship once it is in position to the dock - they are also used to manuver the vessle as it is docking (for example, a line will be thrown from the front of the ship, made secure, and the ship will power against it to bring the back of the ship into the dock). Obviously, the magnets wouldn't work at this range (50+ feet)
Methinks docking lines might be a bit cheaper too - and when properly set, only slight adjustments need to be made for the tide.
What would be very cool to see is the magnet start attracting someone's belt loop or a leatherman out of someone's pocket standing nearby... wow
This is an interesting thing for them to suggest; the obvious implication is that if you pay this fee then you get to download music? But they would have it that you can't download music and you pay the fee in case you do... I love the Riaa
First, we invent the video game system, so you can get the thrill of sports without moving. Then, we pair it with an exercise machine... and you have a very expensive, not as good version of a bicycle... whatever.
Why is it that storage seems to be so outpacing backup technology at the moment? Why, it seems that the cheapest reliable, efficiant backup at the momen is simply to duplicate the drive - buy two (or more!) of them..
>I'll tell you what. Next time you need some surgery done, >come on over to my house. I guarantee you I can do it >cheaper on my kitchen table than a qualified surgeon. >However I make no guarantees that you shall survive the >operation, and I have no insurance.
I won't do it! But I don't think that that means it should be illegal for you to offer that service (although you will have a hard time finding someone to take you up on the offer...)
If you want to have professional accreditation (A+, etc) fine - but making it a legal requirement benefits only the professional and the government - everyone but the consumer.
Take a look at Milton Friedman's discussion of professional licencing in Capitalism and Freedom. His contention is that licensing is simply another barrier to entry in an industry, and as such is almost always supported by those IN the industry as a way to keep new firms out, and prices up. He points to government licensing of pedicurists, a move which was lobbied for by (you guessed it) pedicurists, as a way to keep immigrants out of the industry (because they were willing to work for much less.
Would this benefit the customer? Or would it simply make things more expensive?
Is the signature legit? Yea, probably... the real question is: is this story legit! I wonder what the relationship between Craigtay and the eBay seller is... Good advertising, though... Of course, if someone wanted to submit this story legitamitly, and without the appearence of such a conflict, you could simple do it after the auction closed - but then you wouldn't get/.ers bidding up the price. Ah, online auctions (sniff).
1) As a life-saving medical technology --> lives will be saved by remote medical care, esp. when there isn't a doctor on a flight already.
2) As an excuse for airlines to keep sick people in the air. Sure, they might reduce costs and avoid inconvienence (for other passangers) in the process, but I could see a situationw where someone really needs to be off the plane, but isn't allowed because of a faulty or inappropriate diagnosis from 2,000 miles away - in the intrest of the airline, who is paying the doctor in the first place...
> Because we're having a conference on spam to begin >with already means that the spammers have won. >Besides, what keeps spammers from attending the >conference and figuring out how all the spam >guarding stuff works?
What do you suggest? That we ignore a very real problem because we don't like it? Spam isn't going to go away if we pretend it doesn't exist! This conference isn't about secret techniques that spammers can't know about - it is about designing better protocals and gateways which are more immune to spam - stuff they'd learn about anyway. It's about *colaboration*, not giving out secret spam info
There is, of course, a difference between osmehting that is a crime, and something that is obnoxious, and intereferes with the operation of a company. Right now, spam isn't, for the most part, illegal - but it is a huge headache for ISPs (and everyone else.) It isn't that the police arn't prosecuting offenders; rather,thef havn't yet been given the legislative tools to do so. This is like the owner of a stoor complaining about people with muddy feet trampsing trhough his stoor; the police can't do anything (unless the isolate a single person, and charge them with trespass - see the Intel email case!).
Are spammers stealing from ISPs? In a way, yes; they are using the ISP's resources to earn money for themselves, wihtout the conset of, and certinly without compensating, the ISPs. It doesn't fit the current statutatory definitions of theft of service enough to prosecute, however, so methings this ISPer is mis-direcing his efforts - instead of trying to goad the cops into action, he should be seeking legislative (or better yet, technological) remedy.
Re:Just an FYI....NO FLAME
on
Build Your Own Mac
·
· Score: 3, Informative
For God's sake, it's
"Mac"
Which is short for Macintosh. Not "MAC." It's not an acronym. It doesn't stand for something; "PC is an acronym for "Personal Computer." You don't write "WINDOWS" or "LINUX" or "GATEWAY" so why "MAC"? Becausee it is so short? Jeez.
An incredibly trivial point... but I had to make it!
I'm really suprised that spam-busting hasn't become a bigger political issue. There realyl isn't a large pro-spam lobby, and any senator/rep who campaigned against spam ("I'm going to ban spam! Vote for me") would pick up not only a lot of techie votes, but votes from the general population as well - there isn't really a pro-spam segment of the population, either.
Issues like this, which a few people (the spammers) act against almost everyone else's intrests are ripe for conventional political action... why hasn't it happened yet? Granted, there are examples at the state level, and they have run into legal hurdles, but I'm really suprised we havn't seen federal legislation yet - it seems like an easy way to pick up votes.
True, you have been damaged, but it is hard to say that one particular spammer damaged your account. That is, your damage is caused by 100 spams a day - but if SpammerX is responsible for only 2 of them, he hasn't devalued you email ad. It is only the aggreate effect
I was going to ask if he carried a condom, but then I realized that it said in the article that he only carried things that he would use... and most guys who walk around with 1,300 usefull tools... well, point taken
Slashdot Mirror
This is a fantastic way to (help) deal with a nasty problem... Instead of broad, over-reaching laws, make the companies liable for misue of the data, and therefore disinclined to collect it, and therby gain liability, in the first place. Of course, if the data is trully vital, they will still collect it, but will be much more likley to take steps neccesary to protect it properly. I think this approach works much better than a law against colecting it in certain/most cases.
Linux is free? Well, the code is - the implementation, on the other hand...
I think it's akin to checking a book out of the libary when you need something done - sure, the information is free, but you still have to pay someone to implement it, that is, to actually solve your problem. Of course, the idea is that once you've solved the problem, you add your solution back to the library, so it takes the next person less time to do it.
>"I find TV highly educational. Every time someone turns a TV >on, I go in the other room and read a book."-Marx
Is there any point in raising the complete anachronism in your sig?
Obviously, the guy is a whiner... but the last paragraph of the MSNBC article is interesting:
" The lawsuit also demands that buyers and sellers, who use aliases in eBay transactions, register their screen names with the state of California as fictitious business names, and that eBay be forced to collect state sales tax."
This seems to have little to do with his complaint; but making everyone register with the state Secretary of State would be a big deal! So your name would be Your Name, d.b.a (doing buisines as...) screename. Christ, what a mess... Can someone who is a Calfornian and or a lawyer comment on paying sales tax on USED items? I know that here in RI, sales tax is only on (some) new sales - used goods (and many new goods) are exemt.
"Yes, let's fight over a piece of ice."
Actually, Antartica isn't just a piece of live, like the north pole is; actually, it is a proper continent, covered with an ice sheet. Perhaps a minor distinction, but I remember Rush Limbauh making an argument that global warming doesn't matter because when a piece of ice melts in a glass of water, the level doesn't go up; similarly, he argued, if the polar ice caps melted, it would just get warmer, no sea level change. Then someone pointed out that Antartica is actually a piece of land with ice ON TOP of it...
Each of these new applications of P2P is important, if only to show the riaa that
Actually, this will work to convert ANY card into a 9700 - simply take the card (no matter how old) and jam your soldering gun into it, go to CompUSA and buy a 9700. Easy as that!
OK - here is a better idea: let's limit traffic on pt 25...
say you get 100 transmissions per hour on pt 25 without penalty; then any more than that are allowed at 50% reduced bandwith, and the next 50 at 75% reduced, and so forth; this would make spam all but impossible over 25 ( I don't mean limiting point to point connections, but ALL connections on 25 would eb considered in aggreate)
If you need to send bulk mail (mailing lists, and so forth) you should be connecting to the network which hosts the SMTP anyway - or do it via a VPN setup. There really isn't a reason to be transmiting traffic across a wan in bulk - personal use (which would rarley exceed 100/hr, and if it did, wouldn't be hurt by the 50% slowdown.)
I agree that penalizing acceptable use to fight spam is worse than spam itself - but this seems like a good idea to fight the problem without creating more problems
I've spent several years working as a dockhand for large yachts (100-200 feet). While these boats arn't as big as the tankers and cargo ships which will utilize the magnet system, the manuvering and handleing is similar. Dock lines are not just used to hold the ship once it is in position to the dock - they are also used to manuver the vessle as it is docking (for example, a line will be thrown from the front of the ship, made secure, and the ship will power against it to bring the back of the ship into the dock). Obviously, the magnets wouldn't work at this range (50+ feet)
Methinks docking lines might be a bit cheaper too - and when properly set, only slight adjustments need to be made for the tide.
What would be very cool to see is the magnet start attracting someone's belt loop or a leatherman out of someone's pocket standing nearby... wow
This is an interesting thing for them to suggest; the obvious implication is that if you pay this fee then you get to download music? But they would have it that you can't download music and you pay the fee in case you do... I love the Riaa
FOR CHRIST'S SAKE: GO OUTSIDE
First, we invent the video game system, so you can get the thrill of sports without moving. Then, we pair it with an exercise machine... and you have a very expensive, not as good version of a bicycle... whatever.
...that's great - until you need to backup!
Why is it that storage seems to be so outpacing backup technology at the moment? Why, it seems that the cheapest reliable, efficiant backup at the momen is simply to duplicate the drive - buy two (or more!) of them..
>I'll tell you what. Next time you need some surgery done, >come on over to my house. I guarantee you I can do it >cheaper on my kitchen table than a qualified surgeon. >However I make no guarantees that you shall survive the >operation, and I have no insurance.
I won't do it! But I don't think that that means it should be illegal for you to offer that service (although you will have a hard time finding someone to take you up on the offer...)
If you want to have professional accreditation (A+, etc) fine - but making it a legal requirement benefits only the professional and the government - everyone but the consumer.
Take a look at Milton Friedman's discussion of professional licencing in Capitalism and Freedom. His contention is that licensing is simply another barrier to entry in an industry, and as such is almost always supported by those IN the industry as a way to keep new firms out, and prices up. He points to government licensing of pedicurists, a move which was lobbied for by (you guessed it) pedicurists, as a way to keep immigrants out of the industry (because they were willing to work for much less.
Would this benefit the customer? Or would it simply make things more expensive?
Is the signature legit? Yea, probably... the real question is: is this story legit! I wonder what the relationship between Craigtay and the eBay seller is... Good advertising, though... Of course, if someone wanted to submit this story legitamitly, and without the appearence of such a conflict, you could simple do it after the auction closed - but then you wouldn't get /.ers bidding up the price. Ah, online auctions (sniff).
I see two ways that this technology will be used:
1) As a life-saving medical technology --> lives will be saved by remote medical care, esp. when there isn't a doctor on a flight already.
2) As an excuse for airlines to keep sick people in the air. Sure, they might reduce costs and avoid inconvienence (for other passangers) in the process, but I could see a situationw where someone really needs to be off the plane, but isn't allowed because of a faulty or inappropriate diagnosis from 2,000 miles away - in the intrest of the airline, who is paying the doctor in the first place...
> Because we're having a conference on spam to begin >with already means that the spammers have won. >Besides, what keeps spammers from attending the >conference and figuring out how all the spam >guarding stuff works?
What do you suggest? That we ignore a very real problem because we don't like it? Spam isn't going to go away if we pretend it doesn't exist! This conference isn't about secret techniques that spammers can't know about - it is about designing better protocals and gateways which are more immune to spam - stuff they'd learn about anyway. It's about *colaboration*, not giving out secret spam info
There is, of course, a difference between osmehting that is a crime, and something that is obnoxious, and intereferes with the operation of a company. Right now, spam isn't, for the most part, illegal - but it is a huge headache for ISPs (and everyone else.) It isn't that the police arn't prosecuting offenders; rather,thef havn't yet been given the legislative tools to do so. This is like the owner of a stoor complaining about people with muddy feet trampsing trhough his stoor; the police can't do anything (unless the isolate a single person, and charge them with trespass - see the Intel email case!).
Are spammers stealing from ISPs? In a way, yes; they are using the ISP's resources to earn money for themselves, wihtout the conset of, and certinly without compensating, the ISPs. It doesn't fit the current statutatory definitions of theft of service enough to prosecute, however, so methings this ISPer is mis-direcing his efforts - instead of trying to goad the cops into action, he should be seeking legislative (or better yet, technological) remedy.
For God's sake, it's
"Mac"
Which is short for Macintosh. Not "MAC." It's not an acronym. It doesn't stand for something; "PC is an acronym for "Personal Computer." You don't write "WINDOWS" or "LINUX" or "GATEWAY" so why "MAC"? Becausee it is so short? Jeez.
An incredibly trivial point... but I had to make it!
They demand two years work for a $1,500 computer? Shit, I could make enough to buy one working at McDonald's for just a couple of months!
Education? What? I'm missing something? Huh?
It is like flashback thanksgiving around here! Here is the original, if you are interested... The orginial story was posted under "It's Funny...Laugh"
Different posters, different slant - now THAT'S funny!
An excellent point made in the article, which demonstates exactly how urgent this problem is (not at all):
"There is no point in use building a framework to [destroy space object] because our children will be so much better at it."
An interesting read; I'm still glad to know that there are smart people thinking about this stuff.
I'm really suprised that spam-busting hasn't become a bigger political issue. There realyl isn't a large pro-spam lobby, and any senator/rep who campaigned against spam ("I'm going to ban spam! Vote for me") would pick up not only a lot of techie votes, but votes from the general population as well - there isn't really a pro-spam segment of the population, either.
Issues like this, which a few people (the spammers) act against almost everyone else's intrests are ripe for conventional political action... why hasn't it happened yet? Granted, there are examples at the state level, and they have run into legal hurdles, but I'm really suprised we havn't seen federal legislation yet - it seems like an easy way to pick up votes.
True, you have been damaged, but it is hard to say that one particular spammer damaged your account. That is, your damage is caused by 100 spams a day - but if SpammerX is responsible for only 2 of them, he hasn't devalued you email ad. It is only the aggreate effect
I was going to ask if he carried a condom, but then I realized that it said in the article that he only carried things that he would use... and most guys who walk around with 1,300 usefull tools... well, point taken