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User: autocracy

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  1. Re:Mobile phone on Secure Ways to Determine 'Something You Have'? · · Score: 1

    One time pads are easy to implement, and something along the same lines of digital instant scratch off tickets. They're also easy to screw up because the basic governing rules of a One Time Pad are: Random, and Never Used Twice. One Time Pads should be teachable in ComSci 201, and in very few lines of code (given that the pad is stored in a file somewhere).

  2. Re:Both. on Is DRM Intrinsically Distasteful? · · Score: 1

    Zune has an operating system just like any modern cell phone does, or Apple's iPod. Apple may be the "lead" of DRM for media players, but the Zune is what adds DRM to all music. Therefore, as playing music is an intricate part of the operation of the Zune, and Microsoft designed the OS for it, I contend my argument to be valid.

  3. Re:Both. on Is DRM Intrinsically Distasteful? · · Score: 1

    Exhibit A) Zune

  4. Re: How Do You Know Your Code is Secure? on How Do You Know Your Code is Secure? · · Score: 1

    Well, if a quantum computer oculd exist, it does and doesn't exist; therefore there must be a quantum computer. On a quantum computer, his code is running and not running at the same time. Therefore, his code is running in a crashed state. We're screwed. (types $world/0 into his quantum computer)

  5. Re:Same way you hunt bugs on How Do You Know Your Code is Secure? · · Score: 2, Funny
    Yes, please continue to implement your own security.

    Especially focus on validating usernames and passwords against an SQL database. That's my favorite.

  6. Re:It's a trap! on What Bizarre IT Setups Have You Seen? · · Score: 1

    I work for a CPA / audit company. In one Bank's report, we issued a finding that their core system (which tracks all their money) was located on the bathroom floor. I can't recall if it was a publicly accessible bathroom, but I wouldn't be too suprised.

  7. Re:Server room heating on What Bizarre IT Setups Have You Seen? · · Score: 1

    I worked briefly for a small phone company (2 weeks... we rather didn't get along), and one of their central office phone switches was very amusing (for perspective, one CO switch takes up many racks, in this case about 10). They also had a problem with roof leaks. I think it had something to do with a squirrel, but I don't recall how the squirrel might have fit into the story. They solved this by placing 2 inch deep clear plastic trays above the racks with a drain installed in the bottom of them.

  8. Re:the U-Bend on What Bizarre IT Setups Have You Seen? · · Score: 2, Informative

    See comments above, but basically large HVAC systems (Lieberts come to mind) having humidifier cycles that pump water into the air, and an air conditioner (or, more simply, heat pump) naturally removes water from the air. That creates circumstances for both incoming water lines and drains.

  9. Re:Is more powerful more, or less, efficient? on The World's Most Powerful Diesel Engine · · Score: 1

    The confusion comes from the fact that the 7780 horsepower is PER CYLINDER. What this really is, though, is a super torque monster.

  10. Bacula on Backup Solutions for Mac OS X? · · Score: 1

    Use Bacula. Support for HFS+ resource forks, and many other useful features one comes to love about backup software (when one must use it). http://www.bacula.org/

  11. Re:Anyone remember the Incentive Licensing debacle on FCC Drops Morse Code Requirement · · Score: 1

    I do think that this may have been one case where politicians listened. The HAM community has always had a large group strongly backing morse code requirements.

  12. Re:Great article on How Skype Punches Holes in Firewalls · · Score: 5, Informative

    It is true that UDP is connectionless, but stateful firewalls do track UDP conversations as "connections." This is why, for example, DNS requests going out can be answered without unrequested inbound UDP traffic sent anywhere.

  13. Re:"17,000 brokers unable to make trades." on Are Background Checks Necessary For IT Workers? · · Score: 1

    They make their money by providing a service. It's not a lot different from the bay doors at an automechanic being shut all day long. They still have costs, and can't charge for fixing cars because they can't get any in the door. It's still real money they're paying out, and real money they can't make that they otherwise would have.

  14. Ad Hominem on Jon Katz To Be Played By Jeff Bridges · · Score: 3, Funny

    Just tell me where we found a Border Collie crazier than Jon Katz...

  15. Re:Go read Voices from the Hellmouth. on What's the Problem With US High Schools? · · Score: 1

    Ya HAD to dig up Jon Katz? It's like... well, it SHOULD be the Godwin's law of /.

  16. Re:Discriminatory Language on Craigslist Fair Housing Act Suit Dismissed · · Score: 3, Informative

    My understanding is that the fair housing law doesn't apply if they're living in the same unit as you.

  17. Re:Probably because /. isn't prime real estate on How to Prevent Form Spam Without Captchas · · Score: 1

    Why would somebody go through the extra effort to avoid harvesting /.? It probably doesn't pay off that much in their minds, despite the minefield of net admins on here.

  18. Re:And? on Saddam Hussein Sentenced to Death · · Score: 3, Insightful
    Well, first because its in the politics section, and second because it's such a universally relevant piece of news that warrants thoughtful discussion.

    I found out first about the WTC plane crashes on Slashdot. While everything else was a mess, Slashdot proved to be the best resouce. Sometimes the site can serve a better place by being more than just tech and yet not lose its roots.

  19. Re:So this is how the ACLU Says: on ACLU Drops Challenge Over Patriot Act · · Score: 3, Informative

    They won the case against the version of the PATRIOT act which has already expired. The judge didn't rule on the current version. It really wasn't a waste.

  20. Example script on Limiting Bandwidth Hogs on Public Wireless Nets? · · Score: 2, Informative
    I use these settings for iptables and tc on my network gateway box for ensuring that even when it's under heavy upload & download conditions, latency will still be low (my ssh sessions used to kind of suck). The idea is the link can always be fully utilized, no one grouping of traffic gets the entire reservation group, and things should (and have) remained fast for all. If you can't figure this out between the advanced ip routing documentation (google) and my script, get in touch with me and I'd be happy to consult for your client to implement a suitable solution.
    # cat /etc/network/br0-up.sh
    #!/bin/sh
    #Masquerade ball!
    iptables -t nat -F
    iptables -t mangle -F
    iptables -t nat -A POSTROUTING -o br0 -j MASQUERADE

    #Setup general policing goodness
    tc qdisc del dev eth0 root
    tc qdisc add dev eth0 root handle 1: htb default 10
    tc class add dev eth0 parent 1: classid 1:1 htb rate 365kbit

    #General traffic
    tc class add dev eth0 parent 1:1 classid 1:10 htb rate 120kbit ceil 365kbit prio 2
    #Limit general traffic backlog
    tc qdisc add dev eth0 parent 1:10 handle 100: bfifo limit 12000b

    #Priority (small) traffic -- UDP, small SSH, ICMP, small ACK, SYNs
    tc class add dev eth0 parent 1:1 classid 1:11 htb rate 120kbit prio 0

    #Common bulk interactives
    tc class add dev eth0 parent 1:1 classid 1:12 htb rate 125kbit ceil 365kbit prio 2
    tc qdisc add dev eth0 parent 1:12 handle 120: sfq perturb 10

    #Let iptables tag things
    #Prority (small) queue
    tc filter add dev eth0 protocol ip parent 1:0 prio 1 handle 1 fw flowid 1:11
    #HTTP Queue
    tc filter add dev eth0 protocol ip parent 1:0 prio 2 handle 2 fw flowid 1:12

    #Small packets are fast packets
    iptables -t mangle -A POSTROUTING -m length --length 0:128 -j MARK --set-mark 0x1
    iptables -t mangle -A POSTROUTING -m length --length 0:128 -j RETURN
    iptables -t mangle -A POSTROUTING -p icmp -j MARK --set-mark 0x1
    #certain ports get higher traffic ratings
    iptables -t mangle -A POSTROUTING -p tcp --dport 80 -j MARK --set-mark 0x2
    iptables -t mangle -A POSTROUTING -p tcp --dport 443 -j MARK --set-mark 0x2
    iptables -t mangle -A POSTROUTING -p tcp --dport 5190 -j MARK --set-mark 0x2
    iptables -t mangle -A POSTROUTING -p tcp --sport 22 -j MARK --set-mark 0x2
    iptables -t mangle -A POSTROUTING -p tcp --dport 22 -j MARK --set-mark 0x2
    #DNS gets the faster lane
    iptables -t mangle -A POSTROUTING -p udp --dport 53 -j MARK --set-mark 0x1
  21. Re:Plenty of Room on US Population to Top 300 Million · · Score: 1

    Maine would like to contend with you on the tax rate. We claim first going back to 1998. Of course, the statistics chosen will skew the result, but it's definitely problematic up here.

  22. A good RBL experience? on How To Fight Spam Using Your Postfix Configuration · · Score: 4, Informative

    I am aware there's definitely a fair number of over-zealous blacklists, but I've had an extremely good experience using cbl.abuseat.org as a blacklist source, and haven't encountered any false-positives while perusing my mail logs.

  23. Re:Biased question on A Working Economy Without DRM? · · Score: 1
    All new hardware from major manufacturers will support DRM standards. If the data stream is protected, the media appliance will acknowledge and honor the DRM lock and you will be unable to do more with the content than is allowed by the DRM lock. This is reality and it is already here.
    All serfs will support their Lords. If their Lord demands something the serfs will acknowledge and honor the demand and you will be unable to do anything but obey. This is reality and it is already here. Honor thy Lord & King.

    No... damn that. I will never accept such a thing and be happy with it because you tell me "that's just the way it is." Blacks are slaves and women don't vote. That's just they way it is.

  24. Re:A Mac Exploit on Less Than a Minute to Hijack a MacBook's Wireless · · Score: 0, Troll

    Ah, yes, time to throw the lincoln in the scrap heap because it needs a new shock obsorber. Let's go back to the Pinto!

  25. Re:The question I'm more interested in is.... on Lithium-Ion Batteries Linked to Airplane Fires · · Score: 3, Interesting
    Yes, and every time I forget to stash my Swiss army knife in my luggage... or anything else stupid that gets confiscated, I'm rolling my eyes while I think of the two lithium ion batteries I'm bringing abord and how nastily they'd react with water.

    False sense of security? Hell yes.