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User: SuricouRaven

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  1. Re:Ballsy, but stupid ... on Attempted Breach of NSA HQ Checkpoint; One Shot Dead · · Score: 2

    Except for the guards at Area 51 - the outer perimeter guards there get so many UFO conspiracy theorists trying to breach the defences, they are very reluctant to use lethal force. No point killing UFO nuts, they aren't harming anyone. It's something of a badge of honor for a UFO nut to be able to claim they've actually stood upon the soil of Area 51 - for the few seconds it takes for the guards to catch up.

  2. Re:I hope it was an NSA Agent on Attempted Breach of NSA HQ Checkpoint; One Shot Dead · · Score: 1

    Because everyone is the good guy in their own eyes. Even the worst oppressive dictators don't view themselves as oppressive dictators - they are just trying to do the best for their people, and if the people don't see it that way then they need to be controlled for their long-term benefit. Also because even the most corrupt organisation is composed largely of people just doing their job - they don't particually want to work for the evil empire, but they have bills to pay just like everyone else.

  3. Re:Ummmm ... duh? on Modern Cockpits: Harder To Invade But Easier To Lock Up · · Score: 1

    The jet? No reason.

    It's possible there was something or someone on the jet though. Conspiracy theory field day - if there was something super-secret national-security-wise on board, the public would probably not be told. Perhaps it was carrying a classified military object in the cargo, like a prototype drone or new concept weapon. Something worth a major operation to get hold of.

    It's possible, though it seems intuitively more likely that a pilot flipped, overpowered the other pilot, locked the door, shut down communication and left the craft on autopilot until the fuel ran out.

  4. Re:Spies vs Comm Monitoring on Europol Chief Warns About Computer Encryption · · Score: 1

    There is one thing that Sun Tzu stressed above all else in The Art of War: War is very, very expensive. Only start a war if you are confident not only of victory, but of a rapid victory - for if you win after ten years of fighting, you'll have emptied the treasury and destroyed your own economy. A lot of his instruction isn't about how to fight, but about when not to fight.

  5. Re:Oh For Crying Out Loud on Europol Chief Warns About Computer Encryption · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Encryption isn't new, but tansparent on-by-default encryption is. Remember just how tech-dumb the average person is - you'd be lucky if you could get them to realise a web browser and the internet are not the same thing. Most governments weren't too worried (US aside) when encryption was something available only to the moderately skilled, especially in communications where the lowest standard has to rule*. After the NSA scandal though, companies are starting to design encryption into their products at a lower level, such that the user benefits without even having to know what encryption is.

    *Would you like to explain to your mother how to use gnupg to encrypt emails?

  6. Re:Seems unlikely to work on Australian Government Outlines Website-Blocking Scheme · · Score: 2

    They don't need to whack every mole. Just enough that the average non-techie user isn't willing to get involved and will still fork over their money.

  7. Re:He's good. on Prison Inmate Emails His Own Release Instructions To the Prison · · Score: 2

    Not quite. There's a little trick, fractional reserve. The bank loans you $10k, you put it in the bank, they immediately loan $9500 of that to someone else, who puts it in the bank... Effectively the amount of currency in circulation can be vastly greater than the amount of currency that actually exists. Debt itsself becomes currency.

    The big down-side to this is that it becomes possible, in theory, for the bank to run out of money and hundreds of thousands of people to lose everything they have through no fault of their own. But this is a very unlikely event - it shouldn't be even remotely possible unless the economy is pretty much ruined anyway. Besides, if it did, the government would have no choice but to bail the bank out.

  8. Re:Ummmm ... duh? on Modern Cockpits: Harder To Invade But Easier To Lock Up · · Score: 2

    It's not that easy. Land based nuclear sites in the US do require the two men with two keys - and then another two men with another two keys at a distant location.

    Nuclear submarines have no distant location to validate their order, but they are incapable of launching nukes by the command of even the entire crew: The nukes require a code before they'll launch, and these codes are only transmitted to the sub via radio along with the attack order. I don't know how second-strike capability is handled, but if I were designing the system I'd simply give each submarine the codes to launch a few other submarines, so that no one sub acting alone can fire but collectively they can still act as a deterent with the promise of counterattack.

  9. Re:Ummmm ... duh? on Modern Cockpits: Harder To Invade But Easier To Lock Up · · Score: 1

    Your model assumes independent events. One suicidal pilot can influence another pilot into suicide too.

  10. Re:Ummmm ... duh? on Modern Cockpits: Harder To Invade But Easier To Lock Up · · Score: 1

    Hiding a passenger jet would be an impressive achievement. You'd need state support, and even then it would be risky.

  11. Re:Protected relationships on Modern Cockpits: Harder To Invade But Easier To Lock Up · · Score: 1

    Priests have legally protected confidentiality purely because they are members of an organization with substantial political influence: Religion. Mostly the Catholics, but other religions get to ride along on the confidentiality they demanded for themselves.

  12. Re:Ummmm ... duh? on Modern Cockpits: Harder To Invade But Easier To Lock Up · · Score: 2

    Would it help much? A rogue pilot has the advantage of surprise. They get the first punch - and with a little luck and some practice, one punch is enough. Lock door, punch unsuspecting attendant in the face, pummel them unconscious before they recover.

  13. Re:We should lobby to break the cable companies on Comcast's Incompetence, Lack of Broadband May Force Developer To Sell Home · · Score: 1

    Sorry. Easy mistake for me: I'm over the other side of the world. If Comcast are present here, they aren't going by that name. I do have a local cable monopoly, but I'm not too bothered because they are providing a good service to me personally - though I've heard horror stories from elsewhere in the country, so it probably varied by region.

  14. Re:We should lobby to break the cable companies on Comcast's Incompetence, Lack of Broadband May Force Developer To Sell Home · · Score: 3, Informative

    He contacted two major cable companies prior to purchase to confirm availability of service. Both of them lied, due to improper checking of the address: They just looked at the zip code, confirmed that they serviced that area and promised him they could supply cable broadband. Neither comcast nor xfinity checked throughly enough to be sure that individual property could be serviced.

  15. Re:Some things you can automate, some things won't on Amazon Robot Contest May Accelerate Warehouse Automation · · Score: 2

    Which would be why Amazon is improving the technology. Human workers aren't going to get an better - but robots can be improved. If they aren't good enough right now, invest some money in engineering until they are.

  16. Re:Some things you can automate, some things won't on Amazon Robot Contest May Accelerate Warehouse Automation · · Score: 1

    They will do evaluations to see which is cheaper, of course. A great many low-paid pickers, including management overhead, verses a much smaller number of high-skilled, high-paid service people and a higher outlay cost. One serviceperson could maintain a great many robots, each of which could replace two or three human pickers.

  17. Re:Bet the US can as well ... on Chinese CA Issues Certificates To Impersonate Google · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The big difference is that China got caught. I'm sure the US has this capability too - but they use it only in targeted intercepts, so as to maintain deniability.

  18. Re:Unfortunately on Excess Time Indoors May Explain Rising Myopia Rates · · Score: 1

    Don't forget that life expectancy is going up too, and old age is getting more manageable - that should partially compensate. Extended childhood may take some years of adult life away, but medical technology will give them back at the other end.

    Here in the UK, the age of independence is shooting up. For practical reasons: We've got a housing shortage. Can't afford a mortgage, can't afford rent, no option but to stay with the parents a few more years. I moved out, but I had to move back in again for financial reasons: I'm in a skilled job, but I still wasn't earning enough to cover rent and utilities.

  19. Re:It is a start on Hundreds Expelled, Many Arrested, For Cheating In India's School Exams · · Score: 1

    2. They do not have confidence in the testing system (eg, 'I'm studying to be a technical writer, so it isn't fair that I need to dissect archaic character descriptions in Romeo and Juliet to pass this english course.')
    3. They believe other people cheat ('It's only fair, I'd be at a disadvantage otherwise.')
    4.

  20. Enclose it. on How 'Virtual Water' Can Help Ease California's Drought · · Score: 1

    Build giant domes over the plants. Then we can recapture the water and use it over and over.

  21. Re:Too broad on In Response to Pollution Spike, Paris Temporarily Halves Traffic By Decree · · Score: 1

    It's temporary. The pollution is being concentrated by weather right now - once the weather changes, the temporary measure can be rescinded.

  22. Re:Unfortunately on Excess Time Indoors May Explain Rising Myopia Rates · · Score: 1

    There were three stories you could have linked to:
    - A reputable source, the BBC story.
    - A slightly-less-reputable but still decent enough source, a Daily Mail column commenting on the BBC story.
    - A rambling political nut commenting on the Daily Mail story while trying to turn it into a rant about how leftists are trying to destroy adulthood in order to force everyone to live off the government.

    Why did you decide option number three was appropriate?

  23. Re:sOrRy ChArLiE WrOnG tUnA on Excess Time Indoors May Explain Rising Myopia Rates · · Score: 1

    My optician has a rather cramped testing room. So they put the eye chart thingie (Actually a set of different charts, some illuminated) on the wall above the patients' chair. Flipped. The opposite wall has a mirror, so the effective patient-to-chart distance is almost twice the length of the room.

  24. Re:Unfortunately on Excess Time Indoors May Explain Rising Myopia Rates · · Score: 1

    I'm inclined to ignore everything that link says, because the writer can't go two sentences without invoking a 'leftist' conspiracy.

    Basic rule: Never link to a column commenting on another column. Follow the chain, link to whatever the commenting is commenting on. Repeat until you reach the end, or find a column that doesn't specify a source. The site you linked is actually commenting on a Daily Mail column, which is in turn commenting on a BBC story, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/maga...

  25. Re:Pointing out the stark, bleeding obvious... on France Decrees New Rooftops Must Be Covered In Plants Or Solar Panels · · Score: 1

    Nuclear has a poor ramp time. You can't just turn up the power output when the wind stops. It takes days to adjust. Same for goal.

    If you're looking for non-renewable power source that can be turned on an off as demand changes, you want gas. It's quite expensive, but it's also very quick to change power output, so it's commonly used to meet demand peaks.