If you are interested in this, I got the PDF from the above poster, and have put it up on the web. Look to http://wmills.tripod.com/milspec.html for the PDF. (hosted on Tripod to prevent my home box from getting/.ed, but there is something in the page to track hits:) )
EIDE: Extended or (depending on who you talk to) Enhanced Integrated Drive Electronics, as opposed to SCSI which had most of the smarts contained on the controller board.
PLL: Phase Locked Loop. Used in electronics to ensure a stable signal lock.
SMB: Used in Windows filesharing. I believe it is System Multi-Block, but I'm not for certain. (Dock 1 point)
VAX: An older type of time-shared operating system, allowing for multiple users and logins. To my knowledge, does not decode as an acronym.
HDD: Hard Disk Drive.
SCSI: Small Computer System Interface
vi: AKA VIsual editor (but you already got that one)
toothpick: A device for cleaning the dental instruments found on the human mandible (teeth).
Have fun, and keep learning. You'll get it, same as the rest of us did. (BTW: Someone, please feel free to correct me on any incorrect statements, as I'm sure you will)
...that makes me glad I'm graduating with a CS degree (BS or BA? I hate math... Opinions welcome) and a dual minor in education and history. Why, you say? What good does this do this discussion?
Simple: One of the biggest problems with our country at large is the fact that we are simply not teaching what needs to be taught. I'm not a Linux guru by far (I can get a box up and running, stock install, in 5 minutes...including finding the CD and coercing a recalcitrant eth0 system into working, but that's another topic), but I firmly believe the computer educations we are providing to students is a joke. We teach them how to use PowerPoint, MS Windows, and nothing about how the PC actually works. My Comp. Lit. class in 8th grade (long time ago) focused on using IBM's Linkway to make cheesy presentations! Oh, how I'd hoped we'd be past this now, but we've since evolved into using the Office suite for everything.
This is great for breeding kids who like a point and click OS (don't get me wrong, I like it as well, and have to use Windows for work, but I still piddle with Linux daily) and who don't want to think about what the computer can actually do, but where's the challenge? Why not teach them about how the innards work with each other, how the hardware interacts with the software, even if its only on a rudimentary basis. A little knowledge is better than no knowledge at all.
The whole point behind this debate is what two different sets of people believe compared to what is taught in schools. Personally, I don't think we should teach either method in class. Why? Not because, since I don't believe in one that neither should be taught, but because we have no honestly, universally-accepted set of facts that proves or disproves either theory.
Oh, but we do!, you say. X-number of perfectly renowned scientists say that ABCD happened and the world began evolving! OK, but its still a theory because it can never be proven. Never. Again, why? Because not one of us was around when the world began, and no records were kept of this event (save the Bible, which we are deliberately excluding since it is not independent of both theories, and its accuracy cannot be proven or disproven at this time), so there is no concrete evidence.
The next question that will probably be asked is, then what's the point of teaching any theories? By my logic, they shouldn't be taught because they are still unproven theories. My answer: Teaching the theory of relativity, etc, is valid because we have records, evidence and so forth, based upon humanity's evaluation of the Earth which support those theories' existance. Creationism/evolutionism do not have this data because we didn't get to writing anything down until a few thousand (give or take) years after the event. All that, and the fact that equations can be proven simply because there will (hopefully, though we don't know, so we call it a theory) be a set of valid answers that, when compared to each other, prove their parent equation.
(Never fails...I never get to moderate during a good discussion like this one)
This has been exactly my point since this whole thing started! Regardless of what you think about where Windows started, or how much Microsoft has "stolen" from other companies to make it, Windows is where it is today because Microsoft worked at it, and tinkered with it, and programmed it until it worked the way you see today.
Microsoft has put time, money and effort into a program that many, many people happen to use (myself included). Sure, it has a lot of flaws, but it has its upside as well. How long did it take me to get VPN working under Linux 2.2? About 2 hours. Under Win 2000 RC2? 2 minutes.
Point being, its a good OS with some good points, and no one, not the government, not private industry, should be able to steal the work of another company. As the previous poster said, should we ruin the jobs, and possibly lives (at least for a short time while they attempt to find other work) of Microsoft employees? Not everyone was personally involved with creating Windows, and, even then, do they deserve to be "punished," just because the worked for MS?
(This post automatically disregards all prior posts about "this may not happen" and so forth. I can't bitch if it doesn't happen. Well, I can, but this makes it more worthwhile.)
Does anyone here actually have Sprint PCS service? The wireless service rocks right along, but the customer service stinks like day-old anchoives. Will this mean we might actually get some good cust. service in North Texas (because, from my view, MCI's long distance cust. service is rather good), or will MCI's call-center start to suck?
So where does this leave me if I ever want to change wireless providers? AT&T? No, requires contract. SW Bell? Fake digital. PrimeCo? Will they still be in business a year from now, when their partnership breaks up....
I was under the impression that competition was good, so why would the government allow this merger? I'm against government intervention as a whole, but it looks like we're going back to, primarily, AT&T and MCI, its just the name on the second party has changed slightly. Pretty soon, it'll just be AT&T again.
On the authority of the Nation of Internet, I am issuing you a citation for CWHUA, or Computing With Head Up Ass. As you are no doubt aware, this particular crime involves one engaging in the active use of a computer with absolutely no clue as to what's going on.
Please forward your fine payment of US$15,000 to:
Nation of Internet Enforcement 116 E. 18th St Holland MI 49423
Thank you for your time.
Re:SSN == Financal tracking (fraud, BAD CHECKS, et
on
Yahoo! Requires SSN?
·
· Score: 1
If by check tracking database, you mean ChexSystems (see here), then they cannot have my SSN. My financial life has been ruined once by Chex, and it won't be again.
Also, there is absolutely nothing to prevent them from drafting a check against my account with my authorization and sending it to the payor, or drafting said check, depositing it and then doing an ACH transfer to the payor. OR, even ACHing the money out of my account and the into the payor's. My bank requires only the routing number and bank account number to do ACH transfers.
If financial interconnections required SSNs, why doesn't IEscrow require it? I routinely have my escrow checks deposited directly into my checking account, and all they needed was the routing/account number.
They must not do this in all GTE areas... My friend and I both have ADSL through GTE and the same ISP (august.net). His address block is 216.87.130.2XX, mine is 216.87.134.1XX. We can ping and see each other's machines just fine, and calling August reveals that we are on the same router, and GTE says we are in the same card pack (which I presume would make it the same VLAN segment).
Ok, I hear this argument over and over again. Listen, even though that particular link isn't shared, the first thing they do with all those links is trunk them together! So you're still limited by the bandwidth of the trunk, regardless of how much bandwidth your link can take.
OK, so they do. At least in my area, this is an ATM backbone, so the bottleneck is probably going to be either with my link speed, or my ISPs link speed. And, if the phone company's lines start getting backed up, they get to hear from the users AND the providers.
And there's nothing stopping me, as a cable modem user, from switching to DSL if the cable company's lines get "clogged" too. So far, I haven't had a problem. It's fast!
But you can't change ISPs without changing your connection type. A phone call to my new ISP will have it changed in about 2 days. Going from cable to ADSL (and back again if you prefer) involves calling, waiting, install charges, new setup, etc, etc.
That's $55.45/mo for the mathematically impaired.
Yep. And in a town where cable modem access isn't available to all people...and where it is the cost is cable+$29.95 (cable is about $40, so that's $69.95) or $55.95 without cable service.... ADSL's not a bad deal 'round these parts.
For $39.95/mo I get 3 email address, 5MB web space for each email address, access to a loaded news server, and a single static IP address (thank goodness for IP Masquerading!). This is through TCI. They had a $150 installation fee, but they were running a special - free installation and one month free. I couldn't pass it up.
$55.45:
8-IP subnet (5 useable after router)
2 e-mail boxes, unlimited aliases
10M of web space
Usenet through GigaNews
$124 install ($99 from GTE, includes modem...$25 from ISP)
As always, pricing and availability vary by area or region. Service not available in all areas. Contact your local service provider for more information.
(This is rapidly turning into a "my pipe is better than your pipe" discussion:) )
I will take ADSL over Paragon Cable (now Time Warner) in Texas' cable modem offerings--or lack thereof--any day. Why? Until my connection reaches my ISP's outbound link from my phone company, my line is my own, and the bandwidth is shared with no one. Ok, Mr. Smarty, then what happens when your ISP's connection gets clogged? What then?! Simple. Change ISPs. ADSL around here gives me the freedom to choose from over 20 ISPs that work with GTE, and many more are coming on line soon.
Also, since my addresses are subnetted (/29), I can have a static IP block, and no one can sniff it, since they aren't on my subnet!
That, and my technically literate ISP doesn't care what I do with my line. They are a classic "no-frills" ISP. For $22.95/mo plus $32.50 for the line (768/128), I get a port on a Cisco router, an e-mail box and access to a news server (oh, and 10M of web space that I'll never use). Beyond that, what I do, from my machines, even including running a Linux box full-time doing light hosting things (light hosting solely because I don't pay for a high-cap ADSL line) is fine with them. They don't care if I host domains (named...not virtual hosting, as my poor 486 won't take that) or whatever.
If I want to move through a toll-booth faster, I'll buy a TollTag (tm, North Texas Tollway Authority, and don't you forget it!:) ). If I want to get through the grocery line faster, I'll use my debit card. Those and any other activity you can come up with do not require an indelible marking on my person. (I am also strongly opposed to biometrics and fingerprinting, tho I have to submit to the last one thanks to the lovely state of TX)
Precisely the reason I do neither of these things is because the convenience outweighs the loss of privacy. I do not want to have a transponder on my car that can be used to track where and who I am (BTW: Yes, NTTA will let you have a cash-basis TollTag account, with few problems. I'm considering it). I do not want the grocery store irrevocably linking me with my purchases. And, no, I have nothing to hide, except everything because I feel like it.
Sure, there are many good uses for this technology. And, the motive for the patent holder is probably not sinister. However, remember the kind of (US) government we (US citizens) live under, and then ask if you even want this on a "volunteer" basis, where the alternative is worse than "volunteering."
(Let's not forget the blurb on the (US) IRS tax form: "Completion of this form is voluntary, however failure to do so may subject you to criminal penalties for income tax evasion.")
My advice: go CS if you like math, too. Sink to the level of BCIS if you're stupid money-grubbing scum (i.e. don't do it).
Thank you for your profound insights. Pardon me while I (crumple) disregard them (toss) totally.
OK, so I don't like math, but still want to have a (get this!) Computer degree... SO, I take Business COMPUTER Information Systems. Why are all business-related people stupid money-grubbing scum? Did'ja ever think that not everyone is a PHB?
That, and it makes more sense for a potential teacher to get a BCIS degree, because then we can teach business or computers! Wow, what a concept! Two certifications in one, for the same low price... Doesn't sound very stupid to me.
I'm currently a freshman in college, taking the basic core classes and trying to decide if I should go for CS or BCIS (Bus. Computer Inf. Systems).. IF you have any suggestions, let me know.
Either way, though, I'm doing this because I love it. I can program reasonably well (fragging C++... need to get the time to learn that really well), but I also like hardware, networking and making things go. I'm not a big fan of physical sciences (except Chemistry), so I'm in computers, not because of the money, but because I like them.
And, yes, I can truly say I'm not in it for the money.. Why? Because my minor is *education*! Yes, that's right, I'd actually like to teach computers or business. Why? Again, because I love it.
Don't fret about what the hot jobs will be 5-10-15 years down the road. Worry about what *YOU* want to do, and if you have enough desire, you'll be able to do it.
At my local computer store, I pay $39.99 for a spindle of 50 blank "computer" CDs, which comes to $0.7998 per CD (roughly $0.80). Now, to buy just ONE "audio" CD, which can be used in these $3,000 audio burners, I will pay $5-$6 (I believe that's right, but either way its much more than data). Supposedly this difference goes to the US Copyright office who doles it out to the labels. So, is this unlike what the US does already? If this is the case, then why doesn't Canada do the same thing? (YES, I know taxing is bad, but if they're going to do it, why not do it in a way that makes sense? Oh, and I do know that PCs can burn audio to a "data" CD, which can be played with no problem, at least in my feeble, consumer-level audio devices)
My former employer ordered three T1 lines from these people. Two were totally phone trunk lines, the third was 12 channels voice, 12 channels data.
1) It took them two months to get it setup and installed! All the while, we were chewing on Sprint, trying to get them to keep us on for a little while longer (we'd already dumped and reactivated the Ts twice).
2) When we finally did get them installed and working (which, BTW, we had to do ourselves. MCI/WC swore that the tech they sent would be able to configure a Definity G3 switch. he didn't. I learned a lot about phone switch administration that week), the two voice T1s would lose channels at complete random intervals, sometimes dropping to as few as 2 channels per line.
3) The third T1 had all 12 voice channels......and no data. It took over 3 months before we had an Internet connection on that line. Well, 2 months, 27 days, over 400' of ethernet wire (212' run installed and replaced), and one bridge later.
Fortunately for the ADSL users around my home, we have GTE running the lines (yes, I know, most of you hate GTE, but they've been wonderful for me) and only 2 providers subscribe to MCI's backbone. One (mine) colocated their Cisco with GTE at the frame relay network interconnection point, so my ADSL pipe is only 1 hop away from either Level3 or UUNet (I know UUNet is part of MCI, so we just used Level3 for those 10 days).
Why did you feel the need to be "reconnected" with your generation, as the Salon article mentions? Not to be insulting (no, really!), but I've been doing this since 1988 (I'm 21 now, you do the math) and have found that the people around me who are my age, for the most part, are not very mature or far along in their thinking of the world. It would seem to me that staying grouped with people who share your interests would result in fewer problems like you experienced.
Don't get me wrong, I do not encourage being an introvert (I'm very outgoing), but actively trying to fit into a group or genre of people who are very much unlike you would appear to be rather silly. Sure, associate with them, even be friends with them, but being "connected" with them implies that you want to "be" them (or at least like them), and that I don't think is very smart.
(Loved the bit about being the 1st customer of a local ISP.. Ah, yes, I still remember the heady days of sneaking in valuable time with my Uncle's ARPA login..)
I still have the original 101-keyboard that came with my first 80386 computer. It's a Zenith keyboard that has the flip off logo so you can pick XT or AT compatibility. The silly thing even clicks! (Alt-' fixes that, though)
I don't see any reason to change the layout. It's worked this long, so messing it up would only screw up 90% of the computer users anyway. Let the newbies train themselves.
I don't know how many of you read KevinMitnick.Com, but most of this material will come from there.
1. Let us presume that he has done everything convicted of. This is now a safe assumption solely because he has now been (however unjustly) convicted. Under the terms of his release, he will not be able to (and this is the defense's list): "[A]ctivities in which the Petitioner is prohibited from engaging are: -sending a letter a Senator via e-mail or using a word processor; -playing a video arcade game; -calling his family on a cellular telephone; -working as a computer printer repairman; -writing any type of computer software program (even using merely a pen and paper) -accessing a public library's computerized card catalog."
2. Regardless of how you feel about the trial, surely it must strike you as rather odd that he was not allowed to review the evidence against him. (see the bottom of here) This is something all of us are allowed to do, as he should have been. Mind you, printing all this out and him reading it would be impossible, simply because most of the data is in a format that is best (or only) accessible on a computer. Even printing it would have taken weeks of valuable time.
3. Again, since he was convicted of all this bad-ass stealing from major companies, to the tune of multi-multi-million dollars, why was this loss not reported to shareholders? I happen to own both Sun and Motorola stock, and even did so at the time of the "crime," and my annual reports listed nothing of the sort. Sun even made a nice tidy profit from that year, with no major losses or charges. Motorola made an average profit and took a charge for the forming of their (sinking badly) Iridium group.
Why is the fact that richer people are more likely to use advancing technology than poorer people so surprising? In every major technological advance the rich people get it first. Telephones weren't a major component in lives for many years after they were invented. Televisions didn't come into domestic use until programmers started running out of rich people to sell to.
I hate to see Internet access drug right along with telephone and broadcast as needing to be subsidized by the government for everyone to benefit. Surely, with the advent of WebTVs, those $199 boxes from Microworkz, and even Free PCs you can get on the Internet somehow. The telephone system is crappy and rapidly approaching useless because of the complacency that government subsidies have brought on.
This also shouldn't be a racial issue. I will not be responsible if a black person chooses not to get on the Internet. This country (United States, and others I imagine) is about free choice, and we should not be attempting to show someone "the light" or magic of getting on the Internet. As we do, the message will sound more and more forced and not unlike religious zealots which will turn more people away then it will entice to join.
You should come live in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Sure, it's not the prettiest place in the world, and we have our share of problems, but we also don't have people who make "only" $35,000 a year living on public housing.
The suburbs around here are expanding like there is no tomorrow. The Mid Cities (Arlington, Grand Prairie, Grapevine) have wonderful housing for $100k or less. If you want to live near a high tech area (Frisco or Plano) consider McKinney's Stonebridge Ranch, which is a country club and planned housing subdivision for only $120k for a 3br2bath.
I had two friends who left college to go work in Silicon Valley, and they were both back within 18 months. It's just not worth the hassle. There MUST be a job for you in the D/FW area, and if not here, then somewhere else. No way would I put up with living like that, and I don't have to. Right now I pay $460 a month for a 750 square foot 1br apartment in Denton (admittedly a college town, but hey) and can live perfectly fine on just $20,000 a year.
So come on down and enjoy the party. But if you're not looking for a big hassle, don't work in downtown Dallas. Pick somewhere else.:)
With the exception of area codes, moving numbers so long as you are inside the same phone company should be very easy. Here's why:
Assuming all phone switches work basically the same (user 1 picks up, dials, switch plugs in user 2, hangup, repeat) then your "extension" (phone number") is really tied to a port on a card in a box somewhere. SO, when you move, they swap the port numbers.
I.E. Where I work, ext. 228 is port A0107, for box A, card 1, port 7. Now, say I change offices, but don't want to change extensions? My new office is prewiered to port A0412. Quick issue of "cha ext 228" command, tab-tab A0402, "SAVE" (enter) and viola, i've moved.
Naturally, this is a pain in the arse, if not impossible, between different phone companies and/or area codes, but it should work with the same company and code (which is quite common 'round where I am in the US)
I make it a point to vote in every possible election or referendum where I am directly affected. This even includes such "piddly" elections, such as when Denton (TX) County held the bond elections to get the roads around here fixed. I wanted 'em fixed, so I went out and voted to say so. If I hadn't voted, and it didn't pass, I couldn't gripe because I didn't get out.
The problem with electronic voting is that anonymous voting is a basic tenet of our democratic system. I don't agree with the cynics who say that the parties depend on voter apathy. Perhaps they do, so we should show them and actually get out and vote! The Dallas Morning News ran a cartoon, showing four panels: Three of which had citizens in other countries demanding their right to vote. The one captioned America has a man at a voting booth saying, "Vote? I thought you were selling lottery tickets."
If you don't have time to take a lunch break or something and go vote, then maybe you don't need to. As a matter of fact, I would prefer it, because then I stand a greater chance of getting my way! Your grocery shopping can wait a couple more minutes (Kroger is open 24 hours, people!), but the decisions made during elections can and probably will affect you for years to come.
If you want electronic voting, then get out and vote for those who will institute it for you. I don't like it and will probably vote against it, but at least we've all had our say when that happens. To the cynics out there: No matter what you say, we do have a republican form of government, where the people can change it. This is how.
For those who don't want to read it, the Supreme Court (United States) in refusing to hear the case, upheld a decision by a Federal court saying that West, the people who publish all those law books, does not have the exclusive copyright on publishing laws and judicial issues (court decisions, etc).
In addition, others will now also be allowed to use West's page numbering system which has become so standard in the legal system, it's almost a second language.
My argument is this: If domain names are like "page numbers" (indicators of where to find something, such as an IP address), and their registration information is public domain information (as are court opinions. the REASON I SAY THIS is not to usurp privacy concerns, but my contention that WHOIS is like a phone book, hence your "information" is public), then doesn't this mean that NSI does not have copyright protection for this information and database collection, and, hence, its' "restrictions" are invalid?
Now, this might not have held before other registrars were allowed, but since they are, this is more a shared system than ever, and so is more like a phone book than a private listing of customers.
Slashdot Mirror
If you are interested in this, I got the PDF from the above poster, and have put it up on the web. Look to http://wmills.tripod.com/milspec.html for the PDF. (hosted on Tripod to prevent my home box from getting /.ed, but there is something in the page to track hits :) )
EIDE: Extended or (depending on who you talk to) Enhanced Integrated Drive Electronics, as opposed to SCSI which had most of the smarts contained on the controller board.
PLL: Phase Locked Loop. Used in electronics to ensure a stable signal lock.
SMB: Used in Windows filesharing. I believe it is System Multi-Block, but I'm not for certain. (Dock 1 point)
VAX: An older type of time-shared operating system, allowing for multiple users and logins. To my knowledge, does not decode as an acronym.
HDD: Hard Disk Drive.
SCSI: Small Computer System Interface
vi: AKA VIsual editor (but you already got that one)
toothpick: A device for cleaning the dental instruments found on the human mandible (teeth).
Have fun, and keep learning. You'll get it, same as the rest of us did. (BTW: Someone, please feel free to correct me on any incorrect statements, as I'm sure you will)
Simple: One of the biggest problems with our country at large is the fact that we are simply not teaching what needs to be taught. I'm not a Linux guru by far (I can get a box up and running, stock install, in 5 minutes...including finding the CD and coercing a recalcitrant eth0 system into working, but that's another topic), but I firmly believe the computer educations we are providing to students is a joke. We teach them how to use PowerPoint, MS Windows, and nothing about how the PC actually works. My Comp. Lit. class in 8th grade (long time ago) focused on using IBM's Linkway to make cheesy presentations! Oh, how I'd hoped we'd be past this now, but we've since evolved into using the Office suite for everything.
This is great for breeding kids who like a point and click OS (don't get me wrong, I like it as well, and have to use Windows for work, but I still piddle with Linux daily) and who don't want to think about what the computer can actually do, but where's the challenge? Why not teach them about how the innards work with each other, how the hardware interacts with the software, even if its only on a rudimentary basis. A little knowledge is better than no knowledge at all.
The whole point behind this debate is what two different sets of people believe compared to what is taught in schools. Personally, I don't think we should teach either method in class. Why? Not because, since I don't believe in one that neither should be taught, but because we have no honestly, universally-accepted set of facts that proves or disproves either theory.
Oh, but we do!, you say. X-number of perfectly renowned scientists say that ABCD happened and the world began evolving! OK, but its still a theory because it can never be proven. Never. Again, why? Because not one of us was around when the world began, and no records were kept of this event (save the Bible, which we are deliberately excluding since it is not independent of both theories, and its accuracy cannot be proven or disproven at this time), so there is no concrete evidence.
The next question that will probably be asked is, then what's the point of teaching any theories? By my logic, they shouldn't be taught because they are still unproven theories. My answer: Teaching the theory of relativity, etc, is valid because we have records, evidence and so forth, based upon humanity's evaluation of the Earth which support those theories' existance. Creationism/evolutionism do not have this data because we didn't get to writing anything down until a few thousand (give or take) years after the event. All that, and the fact that equations can be proven simply because there will (hopefully, though we don't know, so we call it a theory) be a set of valid answers that, when compared to each other, prove their parent equation.
This has been exactly my point since this whole thing started! Regardless of what you think about where Windows started, or how much Microsoft has "stolen" from other companies to make it, Windows is where it is today because Microsoft worked at it, and tinkered with it, and programmed it until it worked the way you see today.
Microsoft has put time, money and effort into a program that many, many people happen to use (myself included). Sure, it has a lot of flaws, but it has its upside as well. How long did it take me to get VPN working under Linux 2.2? About 2 hours. Under Win 2000 RC2? 2 minutes.
Point being, its a good OS with some good points, and no one, not the government, not private industry, should be able to steal the work of another company. As the previous poster said, should we ruin the jobs, and possibly lives (at least for a short time while they attempt to find other work) of Microsoft employees? Not everyone was personally involved with creating Windows, and, even then, do they deserve to be "punished," just because the worked for MS?
Does anyone here actually have Sprint PCS service? The wireless service rocks right along, but the customer service stinks like day-old anchoives. Will this mean we might actually get some good cust. service in North Texas (because, from my view, MCI's long distance cust. service is rather good), or will MCI's call-center start to suck?
So where does this leave me if I ever want to change wireless providers? AT&T? No, requires contract. SW Bell? Fake digital. PrimeCo? Will they still be in business a year from now, when their partnership breaks up....
I was under the impression that competition was good, so why would the government allow this merger? I'm against government intervention as a whole, but it looks like we're going back to, primarily, AT&T and MCI, its just the name on the second party has changed slightly. Pretty soon, it'll just be AT&T again.
On the authority of the Nation of Internet, I am issuing you a citation for CWHUA, or Computing With Head Up Ass. As you are no doubt aware, this particular crime involves one engaging in the active use of a computer with absolutely no clue as to what's going on.
Please forward your fine payment of US$15,000 to:
Nation of Internet Enforcement
116 E. 18th St
Holland MI 49423
Thank you for your time.
Also, there is absolutely nothing to prevent them from drafting a check against my account with my authorization and sending it to the payor, or drafting said check, depositing it and then doing an ACH transfer to the payor. OR, even ACHing the money out of my account and the into the payor's. My bank requires only the routing number and bank account number to do ACH transfers.
If financial interconnections required SSNs, why doesn't IEscrow require it? I routinely have my escrow checks deposited directly into my checking account, and all they needed was the routing/account number.
As always, YMMV.
OK, so they do. At least in my area, this is an ATM backbone, so the bottleneck is probably going to be either with my link speed, or my ISPs link speed. And, if the phone company's lines start getting backed up, they get to hear from the users AND the providers.
And there's nothing stopping me, as a cable modem user, from switching to DSL if the cable company's lines get "clogged" too. So far, I haven't had a problem. It's fast!
But you can't change ISPs without changing your connection type. A phone call to my new ISP will have it changed in about 2 days. Going from cable to ADSL (and back again if you prefer) involves calling, waiting, install charges, new setup, etc, etc.
That's $55.45/mo for the mathematically impaired.
Yep. And in a town where cable modem access isn't available to all people...and where it is the cost is cable+$29.95 (cable is about $40, so that's $69.95) or $55.95 without cable service.... ADSL's not a bad deal 'round these parts.
For $39.95/mo I get 3 email address, 5MB web space for each email address, access to a loaded news server, and a single static IP address (thank goodness for IP Masquerading!). This is through TCI. They had a $150 installation fee, but they were running a special - free installation and one month free. I couldn't pass it up.
$55.45:
- 8-IP subnet (5 useable after router)
- 2 e-mail boxes, unlimited aliases
- 10M of web space
- Usenet through GigaNews
- $124 install ($99 from GTE, includes modem...$25 from ISP)
(oh, and all this is through August and AssociatesAs always, pricing and availability vary by area or region. Service not available in all areas. Contact your local service provider for more information.
(This is rapidly turning into a "my pipe is better than your pipe" discussion :) )
Also, since my addresses are subnetted (/29), I can have a static IP block, and no one can sniff it, since they aren't on my subnet!
That, and my technically literate ISP doesn't care what I do with my line. They are a classic "no-frills" ISP. For $22.95/mo plus $32.50 for the line (768/128), I get a port on a Cisco router, an e-mail box and access to a news server (oh, and 10M of web space that I'll never use). Beyond that, what I do, from my machines, even including running a Linux box full-time doing light hosting things (light hosting solely because I don't pay for a high-cap ADSL line) is fine with them. They don't care if I host domains (named...not virtual hosting, as my poor 486 won't take that) or whatever.
Precisely the reason I do neither of these things is because the convenience outweighs the loss of privacy. I do not want to have a transponder on my car that can be used to track where and who I am (BTW: Yes, NTTA will let you have a cash-basis TollTag account, with few problems. I'm considering it). I do not want the grocery store irrevocably linking me with my purchases. And, no, I have nothing to hide, except everything because I feel like it.
Sure, there are many good uses for this technology. And, the motive for the patent holder is probably not sinister. However, remember the kind of (US) government we (US citizens) live under, and then ask if you even want this on a "volunteer" basis, where the alternative is worse than "volunteering."
(Let's not forget the blurb on the (US) IRS tax form: "Completion of this form is voluntary, however failure to do so may subject you to criminal penalties for income tax evasion.")
Thank you for your profound insights. Pardon me while I (crumple) disregard them (toss) totally.
OK, so I don't like math, but still want to have a (get this!) Computer degree... SO, I take Business COMPUTER Information Systems. Why are all business-related people stupid money-grubbing scum? Did'ja ever think that not everyone is a PHB?
That, and it makes more sense for a potential teacher to get a BCIS degree, because then we can teach business or computers! Wow, what a concept! Two certifications in one, for the same low price... Doesn't sound very stupid to me.
I'm currently a freshman in college, taking the basic core classes and trying to decide if I should go for CS or BCIS (Bus. Computer Inf. Systems).. IF you have any suggestions, let me know.
Either way, though, I'm doing this because I love it. I can program reasonably well (fragging C++... need to get the time to learn that really well), but I also like hardware, networking and making things go. I'm not a big fan of physical sciences (except Chemistry), so I'm in computers, not because of the money, but because I like them.
And, yes, I can truly say I'm not in it for the money.. Why? Because my minor is *education*! Yes, that's right, I'd actually like to teach computers or business. Why? Again, because I love it.
Don't fret about what the hot jobs will be 5-10-15 years down the road. Worry about what *YOU* want to do, and if you have enough desire, you'll be able to do it.
At my local computer store, I pay $39.99 for a spindle of 50 blank "computer" CDs, which comes to $0.7998 per CD (roughly $0.80). Now, to buy just ONE "audio" CD, which can be used in these $3,000 audio burners, I will pay $5-$6 (I believe that's right, but either way its much more than data). Supposedly this difference goes to the US Copyright office who doles it out to the labels. So, is this unlike what the US does already? If this is the case, then why doesn't Canada do the same thing? (YES, I know taxing is bad, but if they're going to do it, why not do it in a way that makes sense? Oh, and I do know that PCs can burn audio to a "data" CD, which can be played with no problem, at least in my feeble, consumer-level audio devices)
1) It took them two months to get it setup and installed! All the while, we were chewing on Sprint, trying to get them to keep us on for a little while longer (we'd already dumped and reactivated the Ts twice).
2) When we finally did get them installed and working (which, BTW, we had to do ourselves. MCI/WC swore that the tech they sent would be able to configure a Definity G3 switch. he didn't. I learned a lot about phone switch administration that week), the two voice T1s would lose channels at complete random intervals, sometimes dropping to as few as 2 channels per line.
3) The third T1 had all 12 voice channels......and no data. It took over 3 months before we had an Internet connection on that line. Well, 2 months, 27 days, over 400' of ethernet wire (212' run installed and replaced), and one bridge later.
Fortunately for the ADSL users around my home, we have GTE running the lines (yes, I know, most of you hate GTE, but they've been wonderful for me) and only 2 providers subscribe to MCI's backbone. One (mine) colocated their Cisco with GTE at the frame relay network interconnection point, so my ADSL pipe is only 1 hop away from either Level3 or UUNet (I know UUNet is part of MCI, so we just used Level3 for those 10 days).
Why did you feel the need to be "reconnected" with your generation, as the Salon article mentions? Not to be insulting (no, really!), but I've been doing this since 1988 (I'm 21 now, you do the math) and have found that the people around me who are my age, for the most part, are not very mature or far along in their thinking of the world. It would seem to me that staying grouped with people who share your interests would result in fewer problems like you experienced.
Don't get me wrong, I do not encourage being an introvert (I'm very outgoing), but actively trying to fit into a group or genre of people who are very much unlike you would appear to be rather silly. Sure, associate with them, even be friends with them, but being "connected" with them implies that you want to "be" them (or at least like them), and that I don't think is very smart.
(Loved the bit about being the 1st customer of a local ISP.. Ah, yes, I still remember the heady days of sneaking in valuable time with my Uncle's ARPA login..)
I don't see any reason to change the layout. It's worked this long, so messing it up would only screw up 90% of the computer users anyway. Let the newbies train themselves.
1. Let us presume that he has done everything convicted of. This is now a safe assumption solely because he has now been (however unjustly) convicted. Under the terms of his release, he will not be able to (and this is the defense's list): "[A]ctivities in which the Petitioner is prohibited from engaging are:
-sending a letter a Senator via e-mail or using a word processor;
-playing a video arcade game;
-calling his family on a cellular telephone;
-working as a computer printer repairman;
-writing any type of computer software program (even using merely a pen and paper)
-accessing a public library's computerized card catalog."
2. Regardless of how you feel about the trial, surely it must strike you as rather odd that he was not allowed to review the evidence against him. (see the bottom of here) This is something all of us are allowed to do, as he should have been. Mind you, printing all this out and him reading it would be impossible, simply because most of the data is in a format that is best (or only) accessible on a computer. Even printing it would have taken weeks of valuable time.
3. Again, since he was convicted of all this bad-ass stealing from major companies, to the tune of multi-multi-million dollars, why was this loss not reported to shareholders? I happen to own both Sun and Motorola stock, and even did so at the time of the "crime," and my annual reports listed nothing of the sort. Sun even made a nice tidy profit from that year, with no major losses or charges. Motorola made an average profit and took a charge for the forming of their (sinking badly) Iridium group.
So, any satisfactory answers to these questions?
I hate to see Internet access drug right along with telephone and broadcast as needing to be subsidized by the government for everyone to benefit. Surely, with the advent of WebTVs, those $199 boxes from Microworkz, and even Free PCs you can get on the Internet somehow. The telephone system is crappy and rapidly approaching useless because of the complacency that government subsidies have brought on.
This also shouldn't be a racial issue. I will not be responsible if a black person chooses not to get on the Internet. This country (United States, and others I imagine) is about free choice, and we should not be attempting to show someone "the light" or magic of getting on the Internet. As we do, the message will sound more and more forced and not unlike religious zealots which will turn more people away then it will entice to join.
The suburbs around here are expanding like there is no tomorrow. The Mid Cities (Arlington, Grand Prairie, Grapevine) have wonderful housing for $100k or less. If you want to live near a high tech area (Frisco or Plano) consider McKinney's Stonebridge Ranch, which is a country club and planned housing subdivision for only $120k for a 3br2bath.
I had two friends who left college to go work in Silicon Valley, and they were both back within 18 months. It's just not worth the hassle. There MUST be a job for you in the D/FW area, and if not here, then somewhere else. No way would I put up with living like that, and I don't have to. Right now I pay $460 a month for a 750 square foot 1br apartment in Denton (admittedly a college town, but hey) and can live perfectly fine on just $20,000 a year.
So come on down and enjoy the party. But if you're not looking for a big hassle, don't work in downtown Dallas. Pick somewhere else. :)
Someone needs to mark this post up a few points as funny. I love RFC humour. :)
Assuming all phone switches work basically the same (user 1 picks up, dials, switch plugs in user 2, hangup, repeat) then your "extension" (phone number") is really tied to a port on a card in a box somewhere. SO, when you move, they swap the port numbers.
I.E. Where I work, ext. 228 is port A0107, for box A, card 1, port 7. Now, say I change offices, but don't want to change extensions? My new office is prewiered to port A0412. Quick issue of "cha ext 228" command, tab-tab A0402, "SAVE" (enter) and viola, i've moved.
Naturally, this is a pain in the arse, if not impossible, between different phone companies and/or area codes, but it should work with the same company and code (which is quite common 'round where I am in the US)
The problem with electronic voting is that anonymous voting is a basic tenet of our democratic system. I don't agree with the cynics who say that the parties depend on voter apathy. Perhaps they do, so we should show them and actually get out and vote! The Dallas Morning News ran a cartoon, showing four panels: Three of which had citizens in other countries demanding their right to vote. The one captioned America has a man at a voting booth saying, "Vote? I thought you were selling lottery tickets."
If you don't have time to take a lunch break or something and go vote, then maybe you don't need to. As a matter of fact, I would prefer it, because then I stand a greater chance of getting my way! Your grocery shopping can wait a couple more minutes (Kroger is open 24 hours, people!), but the decisions made during elections can and probably will affect you for years to come.
If you want electronic voting, then get out and vote for those who will institute it for you. I don't like it and will probably vote against it, but at least we've all had our say when that happens. To the cynics out there: No matter what you say, we do have a republican form of government, where the people can change it. This is how.
For those who don't want to read it, the Supreme Court (United States) in refusing to hear the case, upheld a decision by a Federal court saying that West, the people who publish all those law books, does not have the exclusive copyright on publishing laws and judicial issues (court decisions, etc).
In addition, others will now also be allowed to use West's page numbering system which has become so standard in the legal system, it's almost a second language.
My argument is this: If domain names are like "page numbers" (indicators of where to find something, such as an IP address), and their registration information is public domain information (as are court opinions. the REASON I SAY THIS is not to usurp privacy concerns, but my contention that WHOIS is like a phone book, hence your "information" is public), then doesn't this mean that NSI does not have copyright protection for this information and database collection, and, hence, its' "restrictions" are invalid?
Now, this might not have held before other registrars were allowed, but since they are, this is more a shared system than ever, and so is more like a phone book than a private listing of customers.
#include " its_all_about_the_pentiums.wierd_al"