"1) Social security numbers are being used as "unique identifying numbers" EVERYWHERE. When you've gotten someone's SS#, you're halfway to having their identity. "
Why? It's just a number. Surely they should be using your address to identify you.
In the UK, we have National Insurance numbers, but they are for social security only, I have never been asked for it for any other purpose, including getting loans, mortgages or credit cards. They certainly aren't used as proof of identity.
I get hundreds of mails per day and it's pretty good a picking out the spam.
It's no good at more subtle classification though, but spam/not spam is highly useful.
If you make a mistake filtering you don't have to restart, you just keep training it, eventually your mistake will be drowned out as statistical noise.
I've since been moved to Notes so no more spam filtering.
These guys are trying to solve a problem which simply doesn't exist.
There are feet, there are bicycles, there are electric bicycles, there are go-peds, there are electric go-peds, there are electric scooters, there are petrol scooters, there are motorcycles, there are cars.
All of the bases are already covered. Why would I want to spend a small fortune (4,500) on an segway when I can buy an electric go-ped with similar performance characteristics in a much more convenient package for 200?
I've only just used up the original 25 on my prepay mobile. That's after 3 years. Obviously I don't use it all that much for calls or texts.
In fact, prepay sims are being used in GSM enabled devices like alarms. e.g. http://www.bikealarms.co.uk/trackin g.htm
You can get same for cars and houses as well, obviously. I think they have to make use of the device once every 6 months just to keep the account active, but other than that, you're only talking a few quid a year.
There must be a lack of competition in the mobile market in the US if they can still get away with monthly charges even on prepay mobiles.
And at the same time bury the current patent system and it's abusers in their own bullshit.
Lots of patents, on everything. I mean, who cares what it is as long as it's nice and broad and you can threaten a lawsuit against numpties like Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Yahoo, Ebay etc.
If you play the numbers, it's clear that most of them will fold and license the "technology" from you. That'll fund more patents and more lawsuits.
At some point it'll all break and they'll have to reform the patent office and/or the law.
It's quite clear that the corporations would rather fold than actually go to court so all you need is lawyer who'll work on commission, and frankly, with the numbers of lawyers being churned out of American universities I doubt that'd be a problem.
I reckon there's a huge business opportunity being missed.
I have to say that this sounds like a great way of making money.
Generate a bunch of very broad ideas, get the patent office to grant patents on them and then contact all the big web based companies and offer to license the Intellectual Property to them, or else.
Cos as a day to day PDA, the applications and user environment on the SL5500 and SL5600 are almost criminally bad.
Hmm, I notice the review doesn't mention the agenda, todo list, word processor, contacts list or spreadsheet. I guess we can therefore assume that they are the same abysmal versions which have previously been installed on the sl5500 and sl5600.
Before you mod me as a troll, consider this. I have had and used all of the major PDAs, wince, sharp, palm and psion and the installed sharp application software is easily the poorest with poor integration and a truly dreadful user interface. The best by far being the Psion. Why is this such an issue? Because I, the user have paid for the software as well as the hardware and a computer, especially a PDA no matter how sexy or how much raw RAM or CPU, is only as good as it's software.
The major political parties policies exist to serve "the majority" they couldn't get into power without aiming squarely at "the majority" and therefore their policies are all very similar.
If your views fall slightly outside views of "the majority" you simply don't get any representation. You also have to remember that "the majority" has an *average* I.Q. of 100.
None of the major political parties views or policies represent my own, so should I be forced to vote for someone who doesn't represent me?
The top down architected democracies which we have at the moment basically don't work as forms of representation. They don't represent the people they are supposed to. Representation really needs to come from the bottom up where local views and issues can be expressed, which means democracy and therefore taxation have to be turned upside down.
But they at least pretend that they're no longer affiliated with their previous corporations, and it's the American people who get the blunt end of the stick rather than the corporations.
"Grid" computing has been around for decades. People have been doing useful work with arrays of systems for a long time, both in the commercial and academic areas.
Slashdot Mirror
"1) Social security numbers are being used as "unique identifying numbers" EVERYWHERE. When you've gotten someone's SS#, you're halfway to having their identity. "
Why? It's just a number. Surely they should be using your address to identify you.
In the UK, we have National Insurance numbers, but they are for social security only, I have never been asked for it for any other purpose, including getting loans, mortgages or credit cards. They certainly aren't used as proof of identity.
I don't play any of these games, so I don't know the mechanics but half the fun of RPGs was going after powerful NPCs to nick their stuff.
So, why aren't these guys being taken apart by other players after goodies?
I get hundreds of mails per day and it's pretty good a picking out the spam.
It's no good at more subtle classification though, but spam/not spam is highly useful.
If you make a mistake filtering you don't have to restart, you just keep training it, eventually your mistake will be drowned out as statistical noise.
I've since been moved to Notes so no more spam filtering.
If people are commuting, you have a housing/planning problem. The resulting transport problems are just symptoms.
These guys are trying to solve a problem which simply doesn't exist.
There are feet, there are bicycles, there are electric bicycles, there are go-peds, there are electric go-peds, there are electric scooters, there are petrol scooters, there are motorcycles, there are cars.
All of the bases are already covered. Why would I want to spend a small fortune (4,500) on an segway when I can buy an electric go-ped with similar performance characteristics in a much more convenient package for 200?
It isn't all that difficult. I believe the telcos are actually legally obliged to allow you to keep your number.
http://www.mobiles.co.uk/mnp_pac.htm
Orange aren't the cheapest. o2, t-mobile, virgin, are cheaper, vodaphone has this 3 minute thing which probably makes it cheaper.
Proper sentence structure is for the mentally straight jacketed.
I've only just used up the original 25 on my prepay mobile. That's after 3 years. Obviously I don't use it all that much for calls or texts.
n g.htm
In fact, prepay sims are being used in GSM enabled devices like alarms.
e.g.
http://www.bikealarms.co.uk/tracki
You can get same for cars and houses as well, obviously. I think they have to make use of the device once every 6 months just to keep the account active, but other than that, you're only talking a few quid a year.
There must be a lack of competition in the mobile market in the US if they can still get away with monthly charges even on prepay mobiles.
Good for sweaty laps and changes of underwear.
And yes, I do contact my representative, or "Member of Parliament" on issues which concern me.
Does it make a blind bit of difference? No, I don't have remotely enough money to show up on his radar.
So, it isn't just America, or Britain, it's the form of democracy which is at fault.
I went the S5 -> wince -> palm -> zaurus route when the screen on my S5 died, I guess it's a common problem with the way it flips open.
Anyway I'm now back on a refurbished Revo. Cheaper than getting the original machine fixed.
And at the same time bury the current patent system and it's abusers in their own bullshit.
Lots of patents, on everything. I mean, who cares what it is as long as it's nice and broad and you can threaten a lawsuit against numpties like Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Yahoo, Ebay etc.
If you play the numbers, it's clear that most of them will fold and license the "technology" from you. That'll fund more patents and more lawsuits.
At some point it'll all break and they'll have to reform the patent office and/or the law.
It's quite clear that the corporations would rather fold than actually go to court so all you need is lawyer who'll work on commission, and frankly, with the numbers of lawyers being churned out of American universities I doubt that'd be a problem.
I reckon there's a huge business opportunity being missed.
I have to say that this sounds like a great way of making money.
Generate a bunch of very broad ideas, get the patent office to grant patents on them and then contact all the big web based companies and offer to license the Intellectual Property to them, or else.
Tell me again why everyone isn't doing it?
Cos as a day to day PDA, the applications and user environment on the SL5500 and SL5600 are almost criminally bad.
Hmm, I notice the review doesn't mention the agenda, todo list, word processor, contacts list or spreadsheet. I guess we can therefore assume that they are the same abysmal versions which have previously been installed on the sl5500 and sl5600.
Before you mod me as a troll, consider this. I have had and used all of the major PDAs, wince, sharp, palm and psion and the installed sharp application software is easily the poorest with poor integration and a truly dreadful user interface. The best by far being the Psion. Why is this such an issue? Because I, the user have paid for the software as well as the hardware and a computer, especially a PDA no matter how sexy or how much raw RAM or CPU, is only as good as it's software.
The major political parties policies exist to serve "the majority" they couldn't get into power without aiming squarely at "the majority" and therefore their policies are all very similar.
If your views fall slightly outside views of "the majority" you simply don't get any representation. You also have to remember that "the majority" has an *average* I.Q. of 100.
None of the major political parties views or policies represent my own, so should I be forced to vote for someone who doesn't represent me?
The top down architected democracies which we have at the moment basically don't work as forms of representation. They don't represent the people they are supposed to. Representation really needs to come from the bottom up where local views and issues can be expressed, which means democracy and therefore taxation have to be turned upside down.
Hardly "completely disappointing sales".
They're all over the place in London, Paris, Madrid, Milan.
If you don't insist on photovoltaic cells you can get more energy out of the sun.
It's a bit more complex, requiring more innovation but I thought that's what it was all about.
It's not exactly without precedent, now, is it?
I mean, really? It's not as if they haven't done exactly this several times before to several other companies in a very public manner.
You *know* how ethical they are. If you deal with MS and show them how your stuff works, you're a fool.
But they at least pretend that they're no longer affiliated with their previous corporations, and it's the American people who get the blunt end of the stick rather than the corporations.
I mean, it's not as if they're even hiding that they've been bought now.
So, publicly funded election campaigns and permanent and continuous auditing of their finances.
You go in one and it flies for long distances very quickly.
"Grid" computing has been around for decades. People have been doing useful work with arrays of systems for a long time, both in the commercial and academic areas.
I mean, I never ever fill in the truth to online marketing forms. Why would I? It's much more fun to put other information in.
Hands up anyone who does fill in forms with the truth!