There is always something that needs changing. For example, I recently wrote an experimental compression program. Everything is plain, common C. No libraries beyond the common ones. No use of OS-specific APIs. Nothing but stdio and stdlib. But it's still not going to run on windows without a minor change, because it tries to store a temporary file in/tmp/
It is possible to go pop from explosive decompression though. Just not from one atmosphere. The Byford Dolphin accident is a particually messy example. From nine atmospheres to one in an instant.
One person's lungs exploded so hard, they severed his spine and ejected part of it across the room. Bits of person were recovered from a platform ten meters above. That is a hollywood-worthy explosive decompression event.
It's not that different for wireless. You still have the huge expense of spectrum (A block of prime spectrum can go for billions of dollars-equivilent, easily), and if you are to avoid contention problems the cost of installing a great number of cell base stations. It's not a good business plan when someone else is already there.
Private can work fine providing there is sufficient competition. This isn't always the case. Internet access, like other utilities, is a natural monopoly - once one company gets established in a region, it's just not possible for anyone else to compete with them there.
That's the nifty thing. People can come to earn their fortune, lose it all, and be unable to afford passage off. Thus ensuring a perpetual underclass of dirt-cheap labor living in whatever abandoned corridoors they can set up a shelter from sticks and blankets in. We can call the slums Down Below.
The registration shouldn't be a problem. Once they are out in international waters, they will be declaring themselves outside of all legal frameworks - including naval registration. As far as the platform is concerned, the registration is void. Gone. Logically impossible. The registering country may disagree, but chances are they'll have far more serious things to disagree over than a petty detail like naval registration. Like drug smuggling and gun-running.
I think the idea is that the owners of the buildings, although not required by any law to build to hurricane-safe standards, would still do so because it would be in their best interests to ensure their building doesn't get blown away.
Doesn't do anything about H. Cowboy and Sons Gone-By-Morning Builders though.
I've heard about it breaking printers too. Automatic firmware updates - they try to contract their long-abandoned firmware server, get a fake server instead, download the page filled with ads... fortunatly arn't so stupid as to write it into firmware, but stupid enough to lock up and can only be fixed by rebooting them without an internet connection.
So there is a problem, and a potential way to fix it: Pressure sites, both major and minor, into supporting HTTPS. I already made sure my personal website has it running. I notice Slashdot does not, though.
For us geeks, there is HTTPS Everywhere. Now how do we get my grandmother using it, or some similar form of technology to prevent tampering? Remember that it doesn't have to be some really secure encryption - even something like unsigned HTTPS is better than nothing, as the cost of performing a stateful MITM attack renders being evil far more expensive than manipulating cleartext packets.
Where does the money the ISP makes come from? In the example, Amazon. Affiliate pumping is essentially a way to steal from online retailers, and I wouldn't be surprised if it was in some way a form of actual fraud. It does hurt you indirectly, when those retailers have to raise prices to compensate.
Each generation of chips got a few more instructions, but was always capable of running code compiled for it's predecessors. Not vice versa. This is why you will often see modern chips refered to as i686, to distinguish them from the 'pure' i386. There are also many multimedia-targeted SIMD instruction set addons like MMX, SSE1-4 and such. They are useful to be aware of, as some of them depend on having data 16-byte aligned - knowing this means you can write code that an optimising compiler can use them on.
I saw the starting procedure for a sewage/storm pumping station once. The giant diesel engine had two power sources to compress the air needed to get it going. The 'regular' one was an electric motor connected to a compressor. The 'backup' one was a small handle connected to a compressor. I saw no way for the engine to compress it's own startup air, so I would assume that in the event of a prolonged power outage there would come a time when someone would have to take the uncomfortable wooden seat and spend hours cranking the handle to store up the energy needed to make it start.
There is a fun little dance the operator has to do during startup to switch the camshaft from 'air' to 'fuel' while simutainously closing the compressed air feed, opening the fuel feed and engaging the cam for the fuel pump. Lots of controls all need to be operated within a single cycle.
While the iPhone may not be a 'no shit' device, the patents are not on the iPhone. They are on specific components of a mobile phone. Some of those components are of the 'no shit' type. One of the more publicised ones is on the use of a slide gesture to unlock the phone.
I do confess to never having encountered such a file myself, but I have heard from others who have claimed that the file infected them with some form of malware. A likely explanation would be that the website is the true location of the exploit - I imagine WMP would open IE to get the license, which means any scammer not only has a way to lure in visitors but also knows what browser they'll be using and thus what exploits to use.
MP3 files are not the problem ones. It's WMA/WMV/ASF (all the same internally). The extension is merely changed to make the file look more tempting, as most pirates are looking for mp3 files. WMP doesn't use extension to identify files, so it doesn't care.
As for the scripts, I think I can answer that. I actually wrote an ASF header study tool years ago, and I believe I recall it... I shall just find the specification from MS.
That's completly useless, by the way. Microsoft has the format patented, and has threatened to sue at least one independent developer (of Virtualdub) for implimenting it without agreeing to their very restrictive (You can read it, note that is specifically prohibits releasing the source of any implimentation) license. If you go to section 3.6, script command object... there it is. Scripting support, of a very limited form. The actual script commands available are not defined by the ASF specification, but left to the specific implimentation. WMP includes at least the 'open URL' and 'open a specified media file' commands, as those are given as examples, but I don't know just how powerful ASF scripting is.
Note that ASF, WMA and WMV are identical formats. The extension is merely a convenience to allow video files to be more easily told from purely audio.
It always amuses me to see them making thermite on Mythbusters. To satisfy their legal team, they cover up all the labels are are careful never to identify the secret ingredients used - even going so far as for Jamie to at one point refer to them as 'blur' and 'blur.' Yet I was taught how to make thermite back in AS-level chemistry classes - not merely told the secret incredients (iron oxide and aluminium powder, hah!) but how to calculate the correct mix ratio and how to ignite the thermite using a magnesium ribbon fuse. The lawyers are so cautious about containing information about the manufacture of dangerous chemicals, they don't even allow out the information taught openly in public schools.
Or perhaps he just knew there would be no need to BCC it - publish it widely enough that the general public can get it (ie, us) and so can anyone he intended to decode the message.
I work in IT support. The smarter users are able to figure out the abstract concept of a file. Most of them just know that if they go to 'recent documents' all their stuff is in there. Except when it isn't. Then they call me.
A lot of the time that executable code is to do shinystuff, like embed fancy animated charts in documents. One of the worst cases of all is in Windows Media, which will happily run scripts (Exploitable scripts) in media files without prompting or informing the user - and will do this based on magic bytes to identify filetype rather than extension. This lead to the proliferation of fake-mp3 malware on p2p networks. The purpose of the scripts is to allow for updating of the DRM technology and to allow for unauthorised media files to automatically direct the player to a website to purchase a licence.
Encryption and identity have to be tied together. It's a fundamental aspect of the mathematics. If you can't verify identity on an insecure channel, encryption is useless, as you could be taking to a man-in-the-middle who just takes the traffic from each end, decrypts it, snoops, reencrypts with another key and sends it on. The only way to ensure non-modification without a cryptographically authenticated identity is with quantum encryption, and that can only be done if you've got a single continuous strand of fiber from one end to the other. Good for inter-office links, but not for e-commerce.
Slashdot Mirror
There is always something that needs changing. For example, I recently wrote an experimental compression program. Everything is plain, common C. No libraries beyond the common ones. No use of OS-specific APIs. Nothing but stdio and stdlib. But it's still not going to run on windows without a minor change, because it tries to store a temporary file in /tmp/
It is possible to go pop from explosive decompression though. Just not from one atmosphere. The Byford Dolphin accident is a particually messy example. From nine atmospheres to one in an instant.
One person's lungs exploded so hard, they severed his spine and ejected part of it across the room. Bits of person were recovered from a platform ten meters above. That is a hollywood-worthy explosive decompression event.
It's not that different for wireless. You still have the huge expense of spectrum (A block of prime spectrum can go for billions of dollars-equivilent, easily), and if you are to avoid contention problems the cost of installing a great number of cell base stations. It's not a good business plan when someone else is already there.
There was one accidential vacuum exposure during training and equipment testing. He survived. Turns out humans don't explode like in the movies.
Private can work fine providing there is sufficient competition. This isn't always the case. Internet access, like other utilities, is a natural monopoly - once one company gets established in a region, it's just not possible for anyone else to compete with them there.
That's the nifty thing. People can come to earn their fortune, lose it all, and be unable to afford passage off. Thus ensuring a perpetual underclass of dirt-cheap labor living in whatever abandoned corridoors they can set up a shelter from sticks and blankets in. We can call the slums Down Below.
The registration shouldn't be a problem. Once they are out in international waters, they will be declaring themselves outside of all legal frameworks - including naval registration. As far as the platform is concerned, the registration is void. Gone. Logically impossible. The registering country may disagree, but chances are they'll have far more serious things to disagree over than a petty detail like naval registration. Like drug smuggling and gun-running.
I think the idea is that the owners of the buildings, although not required by any law to build to hurricane-safe standards, would still do so because it would be in their best interests to ensure their building doesn't get blown away.
Doesn't do anything about H. Cowboy and Sons Gone-By-Morning Builders though.
If you want to understand the thoughts of the hardcore libertarians, you need some famillarity with Rand. She is influencial. Stupid, but influential.
I've heard about it breaking printers too. Automatic firmware updates - they try to contract their long-abandoned firmware server, get a fake server instead, download the page filled with ads... fortunatly arn't so stupid as to write it into firmware, but stupid enough to lock up and can only be fixed by rebooting them without an internet connection.
So there is a problem, and a potential way to fix it: Pressure sites, both major and minor, into supporting HTTPS. I already made sure my personal website has it running. I notice Slashdot does not, though.
For us geeks, there is HTTPS Everywhere. Now how do we get my grandmother using it, or some similar form of technology to prevent tampering? Remember that it doesn't have to be some really secure encryption - even something like unsigned HTTPS is better than nothing, as the cost of performing a stateful MITM attack renders being evil far more expensive than manipulating cleartext packets.
Where does the money the ISP makes come from? In the example, Amazon. Affiliate pumping is essentially a way to steal from online retailers, and I wouldn't be surprised if it was in some way a form of actual fraud. It does hurt you indirectly, when those retailers have to raise prices to compensate.
Each generation of chips got a few more instructions, but was always capable of running code compiled for it's predecessors. Not vice versa. This is why you will often see modern chips refered to as i686, to distinguish them from the 'pure' i386. There are also many multimedia-targeted SIMD instruction set addons like MMX, SSE1-4 and such. They are useful to be aware of, as some of them depend on having data 16-byte aligned - knowing this means you can write code that an optimising compiler can use them on.
I tend to mix languages. The big number-crunching bit in C, and the rest in perl. It's just easier.
I saw the starting procedure for a sewage/storm pumping station once. The giant diesel engine had two power sources to compress the air needed to get it going. The 'regular' one was an electric motor connected to a compressor. The 'backup' one was a small handle connected to a compressor. I saw no way for the engine to compress it's own startup air, so I would assume that in the event of a prolonged power outage there would come a time when someone would have to take the uncomfortable wooden seat and spend hours cranking the handle to store up the energy needed to make it start.
There is a fun little dance the operator has to do during startup to switch the camshaft from 'air' to 'fuel' while simutainously closing the compressed air feed, opening the fuel feed and engaging the cam for the fuel pump. Lots of controls all need to be operated within a single cycle.
While the iPhone may not be a 'no shit' device, the patents are not on the iPhone. They are on specific components of a mobile phone. Some of those components are of the 'no shit' type. One of the more publicised ones is on the use of a slide gesture to unlock the phone.
I do confess to never having encountered such a file myself, but I have heard from others who have claimed that the file infected them with some form of malware. A likely explanation would be that the website is the true location of the exploit - I imagine WMP would open IE to get the license, which means any scammer not only has a way to lure in visitors but also knows what browser they'll be using and thus what exploits to use.
MP3 files are not the problem ones. It's WMA/WMV/ASF (all the same internally). The extension is merely changed to make the file look more tempting, as most pirates are looking for mp3 files. WMP doesn't use extension to identify files, so it doesn't care.
As for the scripts, I think I can answer that. I actually wrote an ASF header study tool years ago, and I believe I recall it... I shall just find the specification from MS.
http://download.microsoft.com/download/7/9/0/790fecaa-f64a-4a5e-a430-0bccdab3f1b4/ASF_Specification.doc
That's completly useless, by the way. Microsoft has the format patented, and has threatened to sue at least one independent developer (of Virtualdub) for implimenting it without agreeing to their very restrictive (You can read it, note that is specifically prohibits releasing the source of any implimentation) license. If you go to section 3.6, script command object... there it is. Scripting support, of a very limited form. The actual script commands available are not defined by the ASF specification, but left to the specific implimentation. WMP includes at least the 'open URL' and 'open a specified media file' commands, as those are given as examples, but I don't know just how powerful ASF scripting is.
Note that ASF, WMA and WMV are identical formats. The extension is merely a convenience to allow video files to be more easily told from purely audio.
It always amuses me to see them making thermite on Mythbusters. To satisfy their legal team, they cover up all the labels are are careful never to identify the secret ingredients used - even going so far as for Jamie to at one point refer to them as 'blur' and 'blur.' Yet I was taught how to make thermite back in AS-level chemistry classes - not merely told the secret incredients (iron oxide and aluminium powder, hah!) but how to calculate the correct mix ratio and how to ignite the thermite using a magnesium ribbon fuse. The lawyers are so cautious about containing information about the manufacture of dangerous chemicals, they don't even allow out the information taught openly in public schools.
Or perhaps he just knew there would be no need to BCC it - publish it widely enough that the general public can get it (ie, us) and so can anyone he intended to decode the message.
I work in IT support. The smarter users are able to figure out the abstract concept of a file. Most of them just know that if they go to 'recent documents' all their stuff is in there. Except when it isn't. Then they call me.
A lot of the time that executable code is to do shinystuff, like embed fancy animated charts in documents. One of the worst cases of all is in Windows Media, which will happily run scripts (Exploitable scripts) in media files without prompting or informing the user - and will do this based on magic bytes to identify filetype rather than extension. This lead to the proliferation of fake-mp3 malware on p2p networks. The purpose of the scripts is to allow for updating of the DRM technology and to allow for unauthorised media files to automatically direct the player to a website to purchase a licence.
Encryption and identity have to be tied together. It's a fundamental aspect of the mathematics. If you can't verify identity on an insecure channel, encryption is useless, as you could be taking to a man-in-the-middle who just takes the traffic from each end, decrypts it, snoops, reencrypts with another key and sends it on. The only way to ensure non-modification without a cryptographically authenticated identity is with quantum encryption, and that can only be done if you've got a single continuous strand of fiber from one end to the other. Good for inter-office links, but not for e-commerce.
Wouldn't prove anything. China could easily just find some script kiddie and blame it on him. Expendable civilian.
I don't. Only the mobiles routinely leave the house, and not much browsing is done on those.