Anyone who beleives that their privacy should be somehow magically protected on the internet is a fool. The internet was not designed for privacy, or anonymity. Hermitism, and disconnecting the telephone line from your PC pretty much guarantees these things. If you utilize a PC from work to do something, it's the WORK's PC. They have every right to monitor their equipment. Unless you demanded a "private email" clause in a contract you negotiated, don't expect one. The company has every right to check on what you do. (That's called management, folks.) Let the buyer beware, as the old adage goes. Now, for those of you that didn't get spontaneous anurisms from what's written above, there are some things that can help you. First, encryption almost ALWAYS guarantees privacy, and security. While it may be a tedious way of doing things, when you're calling your boss a shit, you don't want to use the public address system, do you? In the old days, people used to talk bad about their manager on cigarrette breaks, when their manager wasn't around. Today, they send emails on a system that can monitor them, then bitch about it when they get canned. Pathetic. Ignorance is not an excuse. On the personal surfing side, you have the ability to almost guarantee your anonymity. Pick an ISP that doesn't hand out personal info, and encrypts their billing procedures with decent encryption. Do some homework. When you're surfing, don't give up your name. Don't give up your address, and don't give up anything you don't want ANYBODY to know about you. The sad hard fact is that no one guaranteed your anonymity, or privacy on the internet. If they did, then they guaranteed THEIR own privacy policy. They never guaranteed against intercepts, and people stealing the information. And remember, that the more you push for privacy laws to be enacted, the more rights you, as a user, and a consumer will lose on the internet. krystal_blade
Hydrogen is rather abundant on our planet... In fact, 2/3's of it is TEEMING with it.
And it's not that hard to get to. You don't need genetic engineering, or microbiology to obtain hydrogen... All you need are the following:
2 Tanks (if you want to hang onto it) Solar Cells Big Screens made from a non-corroding conductor BIG SALT WATER TANK some wire.
I did a project back in an independent study science class where I used the same materials listed above to perform "electrolosys" on water.
You pass electricity through the conductive solution, with the + on one screen, and the - on the other. (yes, DC works best, if you want separation)
Stuff the screens into the tank, and connect to the solar cell. Fill your "tanks" with the water, and place them directly over the screens.
On the + side you get oxygen. On the - side, you get hydrogen. Burn the hydrogen, and you get presto chango... Water.
Solutions like this have been around for years, but nobody wants to develop it because it requires extensive investments in solar power to perform.
Of course, that's not to say you couldn't build a large field of solar panels to power a town during the day, and shunt some of that power off to split water during the light hours, then burn the hydrogen at night to provide power (and water for the next day) at night.
I'd have to say that when the technology becomes available to mine H3 on the moon, there will undoubtedly be other sources of energy available as well. That's not to say we couldn't use the moon though... But perhaps we should keep the main plant UP THERE...
There are several advantages to this... First of all, to set up mining operations on the moon, you'd have to colonize it, more or less. The cost of colonizing it is nothing compared to the constant missions that would be required to bring enough H3 back to earth... It would be far cheaper to "convert" the energy from a plant on the moon, and beam it back to earth.
HF enthusiasts have for years, used a "moon skip" trajectory to gain more distance with their frequency bands. Why not reverse the trend, and set up an already proven power source; Microwave... In a controlled environment, a microwave beam can be used to heat water up to boiling, and presto chango, power steam/electric generators.
Another angle on this is "what kind of energy projectors will be available, when we can finally colonize the moon?" The answer is fairly unattainable at the moment, but we can project a bit...
During the 70's and 80's, the soviets built and tested several particle beams. Continuing research along this trend could yield a particle beam that can be sent to earth with almost no dispersal, and utilize ground collectors to change from one type of energy to another...
Lasers are getting bigger, and better too... As opposed to constantly aiming the beam in one direction or another, large mirrors could be set on gyroscopes and aimed to re-direct photons from the moon to any number of collector stations around the globe... AND DO IT 24/7/365. Hell, if you get a big enough laser, you could use one mirror at around half distance as a beam splitter, and distribute the photons to stations scattered around the globe. Mirrors can also be used to refocus the beam.
AND, once the moon is colonized, and powered, we can start to build Very Large Telescopes in some low G real estate, and place them on the dark side to escape IR and visible light interference from earth.
A technology such as this will certainly increase the number of "electronic billboards" people see while driving through major cities. Selling ad-space on such a device will be almost too easy. A simple encrypted cellular device and a couple seconds of download time will make billboards (along with other devices, to be sure) a BIG money maker in the future...
On the individual side, the idea of a flatscreen TV hanging on the wall may become a reality far sooner now. And, if the technology is truly as "cheap" as they say it is, the I'd like to see embedded displays in car dashboards, or as a "heads up" display on an unused portion of the windshield. Volume controls on the dashboard may be replaced with control buttons for map displays.
Coupled with "netcasting" and GPS, a cellular or narrowband radio could be used to even SHOW YOU where you are on a map, accurately, and quite visibly. Traffic delays and accidents could come up in realtime as coloured areas to avoid if possible.
Hell, the possibilities of this are pretty much endless, so I'll stop here.
What about cookies? They take information from you as well, and hand it back. Hell, sometimes you can't even go to sites if you don't allow cookies.
The concept of information grabbing (like with cookies) has been a hot debate on the internet for years, yet no one has done anything. Until something drastic happens to someone, THEN you'll see a change. DoubleClick may have gone too far, and if so, that's a problem that needs to be addressed.
DoubleClick can gain no information if you don't give them any. Web porn sites and Medical sites rely on customer traffic to finance themselves. Those who are security conscious should probably stop going there. There will always be the panting raving idiots with knuckle herpes who goes to the sites, but, the downward trend in business will cause the site owners to notice.
If you hit them where they hurt the most, (their wallet) you have their complete attention.
It is a democratic society, and you have the right to take your business elsewhere.
I've read the GPL, and I understand what it stands for, but the one thing I cannot get is "Why is it coming under attack?".
The GPL is fairly simple. Live and let live. Or, more to the point, code, and let code. The release of the source code with the program is the heart of the GPL. As is giving those GPL rights to individual users when you release the code. In fact, every peice of code originating from a GPL core is supposed to be released under the GPL.
Manufacturers and software corporations who do not wish to release their source code, should not attempt to fall under the GPL. Such mandering is simply a marketing ploy to them, and it defeats the purpose, and the intent of the GPL.
Software manufacturers have to make money to stay afloat. No problem. They can sell their merchandise under the GPL. There is no provisions with either the GPL, or the FSF's mission that says you cannot make money off of your software. They only say that in order to release it under a GPL, you have to abide by the "un" restrictions of the GPL.
Or, in black and white, there should be no problem, because those with problems (with the GPL) shouldn't USE IT.
The idea that a protocol, or port cannot be secured, or controlled is utter rubbish. Privacy information IS obtainable on UNSECURE networks. People who know their stuff don't seem to have any problems keeping such info out of the hands of no-goodniks...
There are far more uses for Telnet, and FTP than simply high wiring it in to a college campus, so you can run TRW reports on students 6 months behind on college loans.
Network Security is a rapidly expanding business in this world, regardless of what planet that "expert" is from. Numerous resources are out there for free, let alone at a fair cost, that, when properly implemented, make such information damn near impossible to get to.
The idea that every network connected to the outside is 100% secure IS a fallacy. But then, the idea that people who know what the hell they are doing are actually interested in getting a bit o info on a student.
One of the main concepts of target hardening (AKA Network Security) is not to totally prevent. Make the perp look for an easier target.
krystal_blade
Take Privacy into your own hands...
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A couple years ago, I heard a fairly old hacker telling me about privacy and the internet. I had raised concerns about cookies, and the information they contain, or could contain. His response was:
"The internet was not, and still is not designed for privacy. Your privacy is your problem, so YOU take care of it."
And he's right. Anonymity, and Privacy go hand in hand. Want to be anonymous? It can be done through YOUR actions. Want privacy? Don't plug in a computer you store your SSN on to the 'net.
The issue of censorship, and free speech, especially on the internet, is easily remedied. First, know that by posting something on the internet, you create LOGS. And with LOGS, YOU can be found out. As long as you are who you say you are...
Authors of yesteryear who published anonymously, or under assumed names did so knowing that what they wrote, and stated could possibly be traced back to them. For them, it was a way to express their ideas, without blatantly telling someone who wrote the article.
The resoures available on the internet today are far greater than those of yesteryear. (Unfortunately, the techniques used to track someone down are better too) Privacy an Anonymity can be obtained through careful planning, thinking, and actions.
If you want the "net-life" of a spec op, you better damn well start acting like one.
Game graphics aside, most good games are pretty much open sourced anyway. Lets take a look at some favorites...
Quake II---------Oh yeah... Lots of Mods.
Red Alert--------Again lots of mods.
Tiberian Sun-----I think mods were available before the game was.
Quake III--------Skinz, levels, etc...
While this is a small list to be sure, one of the things to remember is that when these games first came out, THEY DID NOT SUCK!!! (well, maybe networked TS, but....)
The core of the game is essentially what makes the game. While I am in favor of Open sourcing game coding to fix bugs, I think some people are looking at it like a golden egg... There are just some games out there that should be allowed to fail.
Example. ABC gamez creates "Chicken Scratch" A third person fighting game from a chicken standpoint. The game is flawed, and buggy, and generally not well tested. But, it is RELEASED and SOLD with the software open sourced. Mods come in, and changes happen, and some "can't be bought" gaming mags have articles that read like so:
"CHICKEN SCRATCH with Lupo's Xworminator mod ROCKS!!!" "Pick up Crazee D's 298.0102 alpha patch!!! over 3000 bugs fixed, plus enhanced gameplay on this awesome platform!!!"
So, who wrote the good game? ABC, or all the Open source hackers out there who fixed all the screw ups the corporation made? Not to mention that J.Q. Public is gonna read these articles and think that they're buying a great game, when in fact, they're buying a peice of shit...that happens to have some really neat peanuts and toilette paper available for download.
The fact is, game mechanics make the game. If the above mentioned REAL games had bad mechanics, they would have failed. And should have. Proper coding shouldn't have to rely on consumers fixing shoddy merchandise.
I remember reading that quite a few folks were involved in this...: I think the ESA is a wee bit behind too...
Canada is providing a 55-foot-long robotic arm to be used for assembly and maintenance tasks on the Space Station.
The European Space Agency is building a pressurized laboratory to be launched on the Space Shuttle and logistics transport vehicles to be launched on the Ariane 5 launch vehicle.
Japan is building a laboratory with an attached exposed exterior platform for experiments as well as logistics transport vehicles.
In addition, Brazil and Italy are contributing some equipment to the station through agreements with the United States.
I think Italy plans to launch one or two modules this year, and early next year.
Slashdot today announced that there are approximately 900 viewable idiots closer to this website than originally thought.
Using the latest equipment stationed in orbit around the world, scientists barraged humanity with radio and X-Rays mapping out large infestations of so called "dead" spots. Using Open GL 3D CAD programs, they then mapped out and ruled out areas that were electromagnetically shielded naturally. The results were then run through a beowulf cluster, and parsed against hospital records for incumbent lead poisoning.
(Note: Only those idiots who are dense (aka lead headed) fall under this census. Airheads require space density measurement equipment, scheduled to come online in two years.)
The results of these tests were astounding, to say the least. Of the Billion or so idiots who were cataloged, a random selection was made to track these idiots through interferometry. (Judging by the interference they caused with others, and their discussions) These results were then sided against web hits, and so called "Pirst Fost" or first post messages.
Looking at the data, Cowboy Neil was actually dumbfounded to see that, in a 3 dimensional internet, around 900 of these Idiots could be found orbiting slashdot.org at an extremely high rate of speed. Impact collisions, and therefore the spread of such idiocy was extremely high, due to morons missing the "pull up" signal from more intelligent data packets.
All in all, I think Lessig and Brand brought up and presented the strongest points so far in this thing. Jeff Taylor seems just a bit too pessimistic. And ES Raymond is an Elitist, at best.
ES Raymond seems to say that non hackers shouldn't have any say in the Open Source movement, and that THEY (hackers) and not avg. Joe should decide whether to put Microsoft on it's knees.
Lessig comes right out and states flat out that he never coded a thing in his life, yet seems to have a firmer grasp on the situation than others... It's quite unfortunate in todays world that the law is so convoluted that it requires readers assistance... But thank god some of the best are on the Open Source side.
If you combine the argument of Lessig, and Brand, the strongest argument exists. Tighter Government control for the handing out of patents, the use of those patents (and copyrights) (Lessig) and Government sponsorship of Innovation, as opposed to stagnation. (Brand)
The simple discovery of tides (even if it's only millimeters) would give the body of water "motion" which would erode the strata around it. Maybe not by much at a time, but if it's been there a while, enough. Which actually leads me to a second line of thought...
If the tides there are extremely small, but existent, and the lake has been there for quite some time, maybe the lake actually managed to carve side channels into the surrounding area, and it's larger than we think... But that's probably not something we're going to find out without being a wee bit closer anyway.
If you think about it for a minute, the bed of this water would be THE ideal place to gain information on Mars.
That water probably follows a high tide/low tide like we do, (maybe with not as much enthusiasm, but hey)... Which will erode the rock and strata around it, giving us an excellent way to guage the planets evolution. Just like we do with our ice core samples in Antarctica.
Given a lack of Oxygen in the atmosphere, and much of it tied up in an iron oxide mineral (hence the color red), theres a good possibility that IF anything died in that water, it would be preserved for quite some time.
Now that we have a starting point, we can start searching for water migratory patterns from and to that body... Discovery of underground springs, sedimentary layers, and possibly even point to an extinct water cycle on that planet. With a river cutting channels through rock, the study of that planets formation will become much easier, as (just like earth) you can begin to add plate tectonics into the picture sooner. Underground springs and aquifers could, using nanotechnology, be explored providing a map of the martian underground.
The neutron star is basically the wiseguy of the universe. Small, compact, and BAD AS HELL...
So, with Cosmic Inflation, coupled with moderate interest levels, people are gonna start lookin for other means of entertainment. (Do you know how much it costs to get a supernova light show?) Plus, there's always the tickets to those special event horizons, that everyone seems so hyped up on. And lets not forget that since the discovery of the Cosmic Background Radiation, everyone wants a microwave.
Everyone's gotta PAY for that stuff, and some people are being super dense, and writing rubber checks their atomic structure can't cash. Eventually, all those star banks get pissed, and they send in Guido, the Neutron Star to clear things up. He's got the gravity for Repo jobs, and the speed to get things done quickly... He probably carries around one of those Accretion(tm) golf clubs too, just in case.
There's just no getting around the speed this guy needs to get his job done, since nothing travels faster than a bounced check. And you think those black holes got any money? Hell no... They sucked down both theirs, and a whole lotta other paychecks during "binge week". Give em Guido Neutrono... He'll bust their kneecaps.
I'm not sure how long ago it came up, but it was theorized that the high rate of speed came from a close binary system where one Nova'd.
A closely matched binary system would trade accretion until the soon to be Neutron was orbiting a further away, but rapidly falling towards the slightly denser soon to be Nova. If the quasi Neutron star was far enough away when big brother lost his top, the shockwave, and infalling matter would actually push it to "ludicrous speed".
If the quasi neutron star was too close... well, it would still move (if not destroyed) but its chances of growing into an adult Neutron.
Any Accretion pulled off of the nova'd star would be stripped while moving, and the star would begin it's decay into a Neutron.
I beleive this is a great idea. As the article says, integration improves, software improves, the computer runs more smoothly, EVERYONE IS HAPPY...
Except for the fact that large end software corporations feel they have the need to protect more than smaller ones. They also feel that denying the right to view the source gives them additional leverage against competing software vendors, simply because in programming, as in life, there are numerous ways to skin the same cat. Intellectual Property rights have limits, and once you find a way around a certain string of code or section, there (technically) wouldn't be a whole lot Company A could do to Company B.
For a good example, you can take a look at the numerous companies who produce so called "hole-less" security systems, and then hide behind IP rights to protect their source code from scrutiny. These companies maintain that since their "source code" is under lock and key, it is inherantly more secure than "open sourced" security. Rubbish. What these companies are afraid of is someone taking THEIR good idea, re-writing all the garbage code, and releasing a program that is good enough to put them out of business.
Companies with money to lose really don't (and I don't blame them) want to gamble on Open Sourcing themselves to other programmers, AND attempting to get an angle on the market. It's more difficult to have a trade secret if you let it out for all to see.
It's really funny if you take a look at what Micro$oft is whining about.
1. The government's proposed final judgment is defective in numerous respects, making the document vague and ambiguous. Just like our software.
2. The government contends that "Microsoft Has Not Engaged Responsibly on the Issue of Process."...Finally, Microsoft "secreted" nothing. We were always completely open about everything. You were just friggin blind
3. Microsoft's comments on the government's revised proposed final judgment are, of course, without prejudice to its positions on the merits and as to the relief that should be awarded to remedy the antitrust violations found by the Court. Any finding to the contrary would be in direct violation of our extended EULA agreement, which we just revised, and states that defamation of our company symbol with, or without proof, is grounds for being sued by us.
[1] Under the government's revised proposed final judgment, Microsoft is not being "reorganized" in any meaningful sense of that term. And we at Microsoft HATE meaningless stuff. Like Easter Eggs, and dancing paper clips.
[2] The timetable proposed by the government for the divestiture is unrealistic. As Microsoft has previously explained (see Mem. in Support of Mot. for Summ. Rejection at 16-24), the forced breakup of a unitary company like Microsoft is unprecedented, and dividing the company in half would be an enormously difficult task. You see, it's just too difficult evenly dividing the number of twits we have, given the obscene number. If we are forced to do it, we may have to switch to either a Slackware, or Mac OS so we don't get a BSOD
Forgive me for saying so, but I think the idea of Open Cola is bad. A couple reasons.
1. Most Cola comes pre packaged closed to keep contaminents out of the can.
2. An Open Cola is more susceptible to doing harm by "bad" people who poison it. It is less secure than closed cola. (This statement paid for by Microsoft)
3. An Open Cola is more consuming on resources, and management, as improper handling techniques could lead to an unexpected spill, leak, or even crash. Closed Cola somehow magically circumvents this effect.
4. Open Cola is, by it's very nature dangerous stuff. Due to it's high citrus and sugar content, it can and does regularly damage teeth. It is also carbonated, which could allow for the unexpected to inhale through the opening, and suffocate. Closed cola, while also carbonated, high in citrus and sugar content, and generally no better than Open Cola, cannot be tested as thoroughly, due to the restricting "One Tab" EULA agreement vendors place on their customers.
5. An Open Cola is more apt to go stale quicker than a Closed Cola. Unless, of course, you enact the EULA of the Closed Cola.
So, Nokia isn't happy with their snake games, and matching cards any more eh?
I can see it now... The new Nokia PSX. It's a phone, it's a console, it's got an awesome 3D rendering engine for it's pixely lcd screen.
Perhaps if they try hard enough, and fit a little of that "matchbox server" tech into it, I can play Gran Turismo 2, while talking to a judge about traffic tickets, and driving on the freeway.
There are plenty of other areas that Nokia could focus their resources for improvements. Come on... Do we really play games with the cell phones? Right before we turn on our high end PC's and bypass Quake III for/. Perhaps we even display duality, and play with both at once.
Give me a break. The only useful thing the "games" do is kill time between meetings when you're sitting on the couch. We don't need more games.
Get the lead out, and give me a 16 bit display, complete with a true OS, and a touchpad screen... That would rock... (And be very difficult to read too...) Maybe then I'll own a cellular laptop.
I think the country of FlameBait does... BTW, when you speak of oppressed Indians, some Americans foolishly think about the countless nations of landowners who were oppressed, and moved into quasi concentration camps permanently during the 1800's. But those were American Indians. Life sucks. Have a cookie. kb
Exactly what kind of control are you looking at though? Sure, in the U.S., and other countries, you could send a 101010 signal down a line and have it mean something, but I've got a feeling that when they are saying "dated" and "old" equipment in india, they aren't referring to something even resembling a trs-80.
They're probably referring to 50's/60's tech at best. Which means that 101010 signal is basically AC Power. The most basic functional component (also the cheapest, and one of the oldest) of an "on/off" circuit is a simple relay. And relays run on POWER. Not the huge, hoover dam style high tension power, but power enough to disrupt a fast data connection by tossing too much noise across lines via inductive coupling.
As far as the quality of the lines, if the lines are truly dated, the best you could hope for is a hoisted telco line like quality. Not very good. Old Telco lines are usually asbestos coated, which cracks over time, and allows all sorts of nastiness into the line. Not the type of nastiness that derails a DC voltage from making it's designated rounds, but just what the doctor ordered when it comes to disrupting even decent data rates. I'd say about 9600 baud tops.
Simple rail control methods have been in effect in the US since around the 1920's. There wasn't anything remotely resembling data communication back then, unless you want to count in the teletype. Those methods are probably updated a little, and made a little more reliable, but other than that, I'd say little else has changed. Why change a working object that is time proven in reliability with something that costs more, and isn't really proven?
I think this is an excellent idea, and one that should be checked out by other developing nations looking for a boost into the present.
There are several problems with using this, (not that it is a bad idea, of course, these are just some little facts...)
The first and foremost has to be the quality of the lines. I doubt they are of the highest quality, and definetely not noise free. So we'll get some packet loss, and voice over net won't work well.
The second is the exposure of these lines to the elements. Meaning, LIGHTNING.
Radhick: "2.50 for three hours? Okay, here you go." sits down at the computer and grabs the mouse Station announcement:"Storm Warning!! Storm Warning!!" Radhick: "Hey, I think I'll check a weather si-YEEEEAAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!" bzzt.
Another thing to consider (another packet loss and noise problem) is running the data lines next to lines that could have fairly large amounts of power running with them. Parrallell to them... Bad Ju Ju, If I recall.
Like I said before, I think this is an excellent idea. I'm pretty sure the folks doing this know what they're doing, and again, ANYTHING is better than nothing. Well... anything except for that whole lightning bit...
Slashdot Mirror
Anyone who beleives that their privacy should be somehow magically protected on the internet is a fool. The internet was not designed for privacy, or anonymity. Hermitism, and disconnecting the telephone line from your PC pretty much guarantees these things. If you utilize a PC from work to do something, it's the WORK's PC. They have every right to monitor their equipment. Unless you demanded a "private email" clause in a contract you negotiated, don't expect one. The company has every right to check on what you do. (That's called management, folks.) Let the buyer beware, as the old adage goes. Now, for those of you that didn't get spontaneous anurisms from what's written above, there are some things that can help you. First, encryption almost ALWAYS guarantees privacy, and security. While it may be a tedious way of doing things, when you're calling your boss a shit, you don't want to use the public address system, do you? In the old days, people used to talk bad about their manager on cigarrette breaks, when their manager wasn't around. Today, they send emails on a system that can monitor them, then bitch about it when they get canned. Pathetic. Ignorance is not an excuse. On the personal surfing side, you have the ability to almost guarantee your anonymity. Pick an ISP that doesn't hand out personal info, and encrypts their billing procedures with decent encryption. Do some homework. When you're surfing, don't give up your name. Don't give up your address, and don't give up anything you don't want ANYBODY to know about you. The sad hard fact is that no one guaranteed your anonymity, or privacy on the internet. If they did, then they guaranteed THEIR own privacy policy. They never guaranteed against intercepts, and people stealing the information. And remember, that the more you push for privacy laws to be enacted, the more rights you, as a user, and a consumer will lose on the internet. krystal_blade
Hydrogen is rather abundant on our planet... In fact, 2/3's of it is TEEMING with it.
And it's not that hard to get to. You don't need genetic engineering, or microbiology to obtain hydrogen... All you need are the following:
2 Tanks (if you want to hang onto it) Solar Cells Big Screens made from a non-corroding conductor BIG SALT WATER TANK some wire.
I did a project back in an independent study science class where I used the same materials listed above to perform "electrolosys" on water.
You pass electricity through the conductive solution, with the + on one screen, and the - on the other. (yes, DC works best, if you want separation)
Stuff the screens into the tank, and connect to the solar cell. Fill your "tanks" with the water, and place them directly over the screens.
On the + side you get oxygen. On the - side, you get hydrogen. Burn the hydrogen, and you get presto chango... Water.
Solutions like this have been around for years, but nobody wants to develop it because it requires extensive investments in solar power to perform.
Of course, that's not to say you couldn't build a large field of solar panels to power a town during the day, and shunt some of that power off to split water during the light hours, then burn the hydrogen at night to provide power (and water for the next day) at night.
krystal_blade
There are several advantages to this... First of all, to set up mining operations on the moon, you'd have to colonize it, more or less. The cost of colonizing it is nothing compared to the constant missions that would be required to bring enough H3 back to earth... It would be far cheaper to "convert" the energy from a plant on the moon, and beam it back to earth.
HF enthusiasts have for years, used a "moon skip" trajectory to gain more distance with their frequency bands. Why not reverse the trend, and set up an already proven power source; Microwave... In a controlled environment, a microwave beam can be used to heat water up to boiling, and presto chango, power steam/electric generators.
Another angle on this is "what kind of energy projectors will be available, when we can finally colonize the moon?" The answer is fairly unattainable at the moment, but we can project a bit...
During the 70's and 80's, the soviets built and tested several particle beams. Continuing research along this trend could yield a particle beam that can be sent to earth with almost no dispersal, and utilize ground collectors to change from one type of energy to another...
Lasers are getting bigger, and better too... As opposed to constantly aiming the beam in one direction or another, large mirrors could be set on gyroscopes and aimed to re-direct photons from the moon to any number of collector stations around the globe... AND DO IT 24/7/365. Hell, if you get a big enough laser, you could use one mirror at around half distance as a beam splitter, and distribute the photons to stations scattered around the globe. Mirrors can also be used to refocus the beam.
AND, once the moon is colonized, and powered, we can start to build Very Large Telescopes in some low G real estate, and place them on the dark side to escape IR and visible light interference from earth.
krystal_blade
On the individual side, the idea of a flatscreen TV hanging on the wall may become a reality far sooner now. And, if the technology is truly as "cheap" as they say it is, the I'd like to see embedded displays in car dashboards, or as a "heads up" display on an unused portion of the windshield. Volume controls on the dashboard may be replaced with control buttons for map displays.
Coupled with "netcasting" and GPS, a cellular or narrowband radio could be used to even SHOW YOU where you are on a map, accurately, and quite visibly. Traffic delays and accidents could come up in realtime as coloured areas to avoid if possible.
Hell, the possibilities of this are pretty much endless, so I'll stop here.
krystal_blade
The concept of information grabbing (like with cookies) has been a hot debate on the internet for years, yet no one has done anything. Until something drastic happens to someone, THEN you'll see a change. DoubleClick may have gone too far, and if so, that's a problem that needs to be addressed.
DoubleClick can gain no information if you don't give them any. Web porn sites and Medical sites rely on customer traffic to finance themselves. Those who are security conscious should probably stop going there. There will always be the panting raving idiots with knuckle herpes who goes to the sites, but, the downward trend in business will cause the site owners to notice.
If you hit them where they hurt the most, (their wallet) you have their complete attention.
It is a democratic society, and you have the right to take your business elsewhere.
krystal_blade
The GPL is fairly simple. Live and let live. Or, more to the point, code, and let code. The release of the source code with the program is the heart of the GPL. As is giving those GPL rights to individual users when you release the code. In fact, every peice of code originating from a GPL core is supposed to be released under the GPL.
Manufacturers and software corporations who do not wish to release their source code, should not attempt to fall under the GPL. Such mandering is simply a marketing ploy to them, and it defeats the purpose, and the intent of the GPL.
Software manufacturers have to make money to stay afloat. No problem. They can sell their merchandise under the GPL. There is no provisions with either the GPL, or the FSF's mission that says you cannot make money off of your software. They only say that in order to release it under a GPL, you have to abide by the "un" restrictions of the GPL.
Or, in black and white, there should be no problem, because those with problems (with the GPL) shouldn't USE IT.
krystal_blade
There are far more uses for Telnet, and FTP than simply high wiring it in to a college campus, so you can run TRW reports on students 6 months behind on college loans.
Network Security is a rapidly expanding business in this world, regardless of what planet that "expert" is from. Numerous resources are out there for free, let alone at a fair cost, that, when properly implemented, make such information damn near impossible to get to.
The idea that every network connected to the outside is 100% secure IS a fallacy. But then, the idea that people who know what the hell they are doing are actually interested in getting a bit o info on a student.
One of the main concepts of target hardening (AKA Network Security) is not to totally prevent. Make the perp look for an easier target.
krystal_blade
"The internet was not, and still is not designed for privacy. Your privacy is your problem, so YOU take care of it."
And he's right. Anonymity, and Privacy go hand in hand. Want to be anonymous? It can be done through YOUR actions. Want privacy? Don't plug in a computer you store your SSN on to the 'net.
The issue of censorship, and free speech, especially on the internet, is easily remedied. First, know that by posting something on the internet, you create LOGS. And with LOGS, YOU can be found out. As long as you are who you say you are...
Authors of yesteryear who published anonymously, or under assumed names did so knowing that what they wrote, and stated could possibly be traced back to them. For them, it was a way to express their ideas, without blatantly telling someone who wrote the article.
The resoures available on the internet today are far greater than those of yesteryear. (Unfortunately, the techniques used to track someone down are better too) Privacy an Anonymity can be obtained through careful planning, thinking, and actions.
If you want the "net-life" of a spec op, you better damn well start acting like one.
krystal_blade
I can get the same result by receiving an out of bandwidth data packet on an unpatched Win95 machine running on a 486DX2.
krystal_blade
Quake II---------Oh yeah... Lots of Mods.
Red Alert--------Again lots of mods.
Tiberian Sun-----I think mods were available before the game was.
Quake III--------Skinz, levels, etc...
While this is a small list to be sure, one of the things to remember is that when these games first came out, THEY DID NOT SUCK!!! (well, maybe networked TS, but....)
The core of the game is essentially what makes the game. While I am in favor of Open sourcing game coding to fix bugs, I think some people are looking at it like a golden egg... There are just some games out there that should be allowed to fail.
Example. ABC gamez creates "Chicken Scratch" A third person fighting game from a chicken standpoint. The game is flawed, and buggy, and generally not well tested. But, it is RELEASED and SOLD with the software open sourced. Mods come in, and changes happen, and some "can't be bought" gaming mags have articles that read like so:
"CHICKEN SCRATCH with Lupo's Xworminator mod ROCKS!!!" "Pick up Crazee D's 298.0102 alpha patch!!! over 3000 bugs fixed, plus enhanced gameplay on this awesome platform!!!"
So, who wrote the good game? ABC, or all the Open source hackers out there who fixed all the screw ups the corporation made? Not to mention that J.Q. Public is gonna read these articles and think that they're buying a great game, when in fact, they're buying a peice of shit...that happens to have some really neat peanuts and toilette paper available for download.
The fact is, game mechanics make the game. If the above mentioned REAL games had bad mechanics, they would have failed. And should have. Proper coding shouldn't have to rely on consumers fixing shoddy merchandise.
krystal_blade
Canada is providing a 55-foot-long robotic arm to be used for assembly and maintenance tasks on the Space Station.
The European Space Agency is building a pressurized laboratory to be launched on the Space Shuttle and logistics transport vehicles to be launched on the Ariane 5 launch vehicle.
Japan is building a laboratory with an attached exposed exterior platform for experiments as well as logistics transport vehicles.
In addition, Brazil and Italy are contributing some equipment to the station through agreements with the United States.
I think Italy plans to launch one or two modules this year, and early next year.
krystal_blade
Using the latest equipment stationed in orbit around the world, scientists barraged humanity with radio and X-Rays mapping out large infestations of so called "dead" spots. Using Open GL 3D CAD programs, they then mapped out and ruled out areas that were electromagnetically shielded naturally. The results were then run through a beowulf cluster, and parsed against hospital records for incumbent lead poisoning.
(Note: Only those idiots who are dense (aka lead headed) fall under this census. Airheads require space density measurement equipment, scheduled to come online in two years.)
The results of these tests were astounding, to say the least. Of the Billion or so idiots who were cataloged, a random selection was made to track these idiots through interferometry. (Judging by the interference they caused with others, and their discussions) These results were then sided against web hits, and so called "Pirst Fost" or first post messages.
Looking at the data, Cowboy Neil was actually dumbfounded to see that, in a 3 dimensional internet, around 900 of these Idiots could be found orbiting slashdot.org at an extremely high rate of speed. Impact collisions, and therefore the spread of such idiocy was extremely high, due to morons missing the "pull up" signal from more intelligent data packets.
krystal_blade.
ES Raymond seems to say that non hackers shouldn't have any say in the Open Source movement, and that THEY (hackers) and not avg. Joe should decide whether to put Microsoft on it's knees.
Lessig comes right out and states flat out that he never coded a thing in his life, yet seems to have a firmer grasp on the situation than others... It's quite unfortunate in todays world that the law is so convoluted that it requires readers assistance... But thank god some of the best are on the Open Source side.
If you combine the argument of Lessig, and Brand, the strongest argument exists. Tighter Government control for the handing out of patents, the use of those patents (and copyrights) (Lessig) and Government sponsorship of Innovation, as opposed to stagnation. (Brand)
krystal_blade
If the tides there are extremely small, but existent, and the lake has been there for quite some time, maybe the lake actually managed to carve side channels into the surrounding area, and it's larger than we think... But that's probably not something we're going to find out without being a wee bit closer anyway.
krystal_blade
That water probably follows a high tide/low tide like we do, (maybe with not as much enthusiasm, but hey)... Which will erode the rock and strata around it, giving us an excellent way to guage the planets evolution. Just like we do with our ice core samples in Antarctica.
Given a lack of Oxygen in the atmosphere, and much of it tied up in an iron oxide mineral (hence the color red), theres a good possibility that IF anything died in that water, it would be preserved for quite some time.
Now that we have a starting point, we can start searching for water migratory patterns from and to that body... Discovery of underground springs, sedimentary layers, and possibly even point to an extinct water cycle on that planet. With a river cutting channels through rock, the study of that planets formation will become much easier, as (just like earth) you can begin to add plate tectonics into the picture sooner. Underground springs and aquifers could, using nanotechnology, be explored providing a map of the martian underground.
krystal_blade
"Don't be green..."
"We've got a bug!"
I can't wait to get my hands on a Noisy Crickett...
krystal_blade
So, with Cosmic Inflation, coupled with moderate interest levels, people are gonna start lookin for other means of entertainment. (Do you know how much it costs to get a supernova light show?) Plus, there's always the tickets to those special event horizons, that everyone seems so hyped up on. And lets not forget that since the discovery of the Cosmic Background Radiation, everyone wants a microwave.
Everyone's gotta PAY for that stuff, and some people are being super dense, and writing rubber checks their atomic structure can't cash. Eventually, all those star banks get pissed, and they send in Guido, the Neutron Star to clear things up. He's got the gravity for Repo jobs, and the speed to get things done quickly... He probably carries around one of those Accretion(tm) golf clubs too, just in case.
There's just no getting around the speed this guy needs to get his job done, since nothing travels faster than a bounced check. And you think those black holes got any money? Hell no... They sucked down both theirs, and a whole lotta other paychecks during "binge week". Give em Guido Neutrono... He'll bust their kneecaps.
krystal_blade
A closely matched binary system would trade accretion until the soon to be Neutron was orbiting a further away, but rapidly falling towards the slightly denser soon to be Nova. If the quasi Neutron star was far enough away when big brother lost his top, the shockwave, and infalling matter would actually push it to "ludicrous speed".
If the quasi neutron star was too close... well, it would still move (if not destroyed) but its chances of growing into an adult Neutron.
Any Accretion pulled off of the nova'd star would be stripped while moving, and the star would begin it's decay into a Neutron.
krystal_blade
Except for the fact that large end software corporations feel they have the need to protect more than smaller ones. They also feel that denying the right to view the source gives them additional leverage against competing software vendors, simply because in programming, as in life, there are numerous ways to skin the same cat. Intellectual Property rights have limits, and once you find a way around a certain string of code or section, there (technically) wouldn't be a whole lot Company A could do to Company B.
For a good example, you can take a look at the numerous companies who produce so called "hole-less" security systems, and then hide behind IP rights to protect their source code from scrutiny. These companies maintain that since their "source code" is under lock and key, it is inherantly more secure than "open sourced" security. Rubbish. What these companies are afraid of is someone taking THEIR good idea, re-writing all the garbage code, and releasing a program that is good enough to put them out of business.
Companies with money to lose really don't (and I don't blame them) want to gamble on Open Sourcing themselves to other programmers, AND attempting to get an angle on the market. It's more difficult to have a trade secret if you let it out for all to see.
krystal_blade
1. The government's proposed final judgment is defective in numerous respects, making the document vague and ambiguous.
Just like our software.
2. The government contends that "Microsoft Has Not Engaged Responsibly on the Issue of Process." ...Finally, Microsoft "secreted" nothing.
We were always completely open about everything. You were just friggin blind
3. Microsoft's comments on the government's revised proposed final judgment are, of course, without prejudice to its positions on the merits and as to the relief that should be awarded to remedy the antitrust violations found by the Court.
Any finding to the contrary would be in direct violation of our extended EULA agreement, which we just revised, and states that defamation of our company symbol with, or without proof, is grounds for being sued by us.
[1] Under the government's revised proposed final judgment, Microsoft is not being "reorganized" in any meaningful sense of that term.
And we at Microsoft HATE meaningless stuff. Like Easter Eggs, and dancing paper clips.
[2] The timetable proposed by the government for the divestiture is unrealistic. As Microsoft has previously explained (see Mem. in Support of Mot. for Summ. Rejection at 16-24), the forced breakup of a unitary company like Microsoft is unprecedented, and dividing the company in half would be an enormously difficult task.
You see, it's just too difficult evenly dividing the number of twits we have, given the obscene number. If we are forced to do it, we may have to switch to either a Slackware, or Mac OS so we don't get a BSOD
etc...
krystal_blade
1. Most Cola comes pre packaged closed to keep contaminents out of the can.
2. An Open Cola is more susceptible to doing harm by "bad" people who poison it. It is less secure than closed cola. (This statement paid for by Microsoft)
3. An Open Cola is more consuming on resources, and management, as improper handling techniques could lead to an unexpected spill, leak, or even crash. Closed Cola somehow magically circumvents this effect.
4. Open Cola is, by it's very nature dangerous stuff. Due to it's high citrus and sugar content, it can and does regularly damage teeth. It is also carbonated, which could allow for the unexpected to inhale through the opening, and suffocate. Closed cola, while also carbonated, high in citrus and sugar content, and generally no better than Open Cola, cannot be tested as thoroughly, due to the restricting "One Tab" EULA agreement vendors place on their customers.
5. An Open Cola is more apt to go stale quicker than a Closed Cola. Unless, of course, you enact the EULA of the Closed Cola.
krystal_blade
So, Nokia isn't happy with their snake games, and matching cards any more eh?
/. Perhaps we even display duality, and play with both at once.
I can see it now... The new Nokia PSX.
It's a phone, it's a console, it's got an awesome 3D rendering engine for it's pixely lcd screen.
Perhaps if they try hard enough, and fit a little of that "matchbox server" tech into it, I can play Gran Turismo 2, while talking to a judge about traffic tickets, and driving on the freeway.
There are plenty of other areas that Nokia could focus their resources for improvements. Come on... Do we really play games with the cell phones? Right before we turn on our high end PC's and bypass Quake III for
Give me a break. The only useful thing the "games" do is kill time between meetings when you're sitting on the couch. We don't need more games.
Get the lead out, and give me a 16 bit display, complete with a true OS, and a touchpad screen... That would rock... (And be very difficult to read too...) Maybe then I'll own a cellular laptop.
kb
I think the country of FlameBait does... BTW, when you speak of oppressed Indians, some Americans foolishly think about the countless nations of landowners who were oppressed, and moved into quasi concentration camps permanently during the 1800's. But those were American Indians. Life sucks. Have a cookie. kb
They're probably referring to 50's/60's tech at best. Which means that 101010 signal is basically AC Power. The most basic functional component (also the cheapest, and one of the oldest) of an "on/off" circuit is a simple relay. And relays run on POWER. Not the huge, hoover dam style high tension power, but power enough to disrupt a fast data connection by tossing too much noise across lines via inductive coupling.
As far as the quality of the lines, if the lines are truly dated, the best you could hope for is a hoisted telco line like quality. Not very good. Old Telco lines are usually asbestos coated, which cracks over time, and allows all sorts of nastiness into the line. Not the type of nastiness that derails a DC voltage from making it's designated rounds, but just what the doctor ordered when it comes to disrupting even decent data rates. I'd say about 9600 baud tops.
Simple rail control methods have been in effect in the US since around the 1920's. There wasn't anything remotely resembling data communication back then, unless you want to count in the teletype. Those methods are probably updated a little, and made a little more reliable, but other than that, I'd say little else has changed. Why change a working object that is time proven in reliability with something that costs more, and isn't really proven?
krystal_blade
There are several problems with using this, (not that it is a bad idea, of course, these are just some little facts...)
The first and foremost has to be the quality of the lines. I doubt they are of the highest quality, and definetely not noise free. So we'll get some packet loss, and voice over net won't work well.
The second is the exposure of these lines to the elements. Meaning, LIGHTNING.
Radhick: "2.50 for three hours? Okay, here you go."
sits down at the computer and grabs the mouse
Station announcement:"Storm Warning!! Storm Warning!!"
Radhick: "Hey, I think I'll check a weather si-YEEEEAAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!" bzzt.
Another thing to consider (another packet loss and noise problem) is running the data lines next to lines that could have fairly large amounts of power running with them. Parrallell to them... Bad Ju Ju, If I recall.
Like I said before, I think this is an excellent idea. I'm pretty sure the folks doing this know what they're doing, and again, ANYTHING is better than nothing. Well... anything except for that whole lightning bit...
krystal_blade