For police, smartphones are the DNA or fingerprints of the 21st century. Soon every crime investigation will start with "any DNA on scene?" followed by "Who do the tower logs say was in the area at the time of the crime?"
While the corporations that use our data have profited much, so have users. I certainly have profited *hugely* from Google's free search engine, free email, free Docs service, free apps on iPhone and Android, etc. I guess some people also consider that they've profited from whatever benefits Facebook and Twitter offer as well.
The real problem is that the information that these companies accumulate can be captured by the government, and that the logs may go back years (or forever)...
Anything you do on a computer which doesn't belong to you may be used against you in a court of law.
Carry a live-VD, buy a tablet, or use any other means to do your personal computing. Never use someone else's computer to log into your email accounts, surf, etc. And if you think you have "nothing to hide" and can't even imagine how it could be used against you, then you *definitely* need to heed this advice.
The only question should be: "Were the patients fully informed?" If I have a terminal or otherwise untreatable condition, I want to be able to decide for myself whether or not an unproven treatment is worth the risk.
Some people need "protection" or "hand-holding"? No problem. Protect them. But I also want the right to opt out of the government's protection.
A pardon means "we forgive you for your offense".
It would be better for us to say "This law was wrong and the conviction was illegitimate." The only people who should be asking for a pardon are those who voted for and upheld that law.
The current policy is wrong headed and contributes to current and continuing injury.
This policy must be changed such that convictions based on any crime that is now considered "cruel and absurd" must be overturned.
The only way to be reasonably sure of security is by using open source encryption (TrueCrypt, PGP). If you're only using a "black box" system to protect your information, you should expect that governments (and crime syndicates who can bribe individual government employees) will have access to your information.
What's surprising is that anyone with secrets worth protecting doesn't already know this, or hasn't already hired someone competent enough to tell them this.
If a government is in breach of a treaty obligation, it can be sued if the treaty provides for this. One example: countries are sometimes sued for imposing unfair tariffs of US goods.
It's too bad that such crooks discredit the entire genome testing industry. I've personally been very satisfied with https://www.23andme.com/ , due in large part to their very rigorous criteria before claiming any effect from any particular gene.
Safety deposit boxes are not a good idea. As soon as the bank is notified that the person is dead, they will cut off access to the box and account until they get a death certificate. This can take time, and is not the solution you're seeking.
By the way, this assumes that you're also reviewing your will every year or so which is a must if you have a wife and child. A quick 5 minute review is enough most years.
As for the envelope, it's easy enough to seal / sign / tape it to make sure it hasn't been tampered with. Very low tech, very cheap, and effective. Just make sure your family knows where the safe is, and where the key is.
Changing passwords every month seems excessive.
I use a different password for every site (banking, eBay, etc.) and keep the master list encrypted with http://www.truecrypt.org/ along with other sensitive info. Every year, I print out the passwords (and fake mother's maiden name, etc.) for most sites on paper and place them in the same envelope as my will, in a strong box / safe in the house.
When I die, whatever is in the TrueCrypt partition and whatever passwords I chose not to print die with me. My family will be able to recover all other account info without problem.
So now on top of wondering if my backup DVDs will still be readable in 20 years, and if I'll have the right program to interpret the file, I have to wonder if the very concept of a "file" will remain stable over that time?
They lost the support of a lot of people when they started naming names of innocent people and putting them in danger (eg: people who spoke out against Hezbollah in confidence). These people were risking a lot by speaking to US officials and had their lives put in danger for no good reason.
Many police agencies require a bachelor's degree now, don't they? I know the big one near me does.
The one in my large city requires a diploma from a Police Academy (yeah, like the movie), which is equivalent to a trade school. I looked up the requirements for Atlanta (random choice) and all they ask for is "High School diploma or GED certificate" ( https://www.joinatlantapd.org/requirements.htm ).
but spending a trillion dollars to win a pissing contest while we're cutting Social Security, selling off parks, and laying off tens of thousands of government employees seems, I don't know, kind of stupid.
Given that the Apollo program galvanized world opinion in favor of the USA and the values it represents, motivated an army of youngsters to become scientists, and resulted in innumerable technological spin-offs and benefits, I'd say it was well worth it. It will be well worth it to repeat these feats in the future.
As for Social Security, it costs $700 billion every year, but can be made solvent again simply by raising the retirement back to the level it was when the program was first created.
The only way humans will go to Mars will be if a new Cold War starts. I'm happy that Neil deGrasse Tyson eloquently raised this point with the audience (~minute 28).
To get more funding for science, we really need to play up the geo-political advantages. Appealing to the love of knowledge might convince the Slashdot crowd, but it won't pry open the coffers of any nation.
When I ask "What do speculators produce?" the answer seems to always be, "Speculators produce liquidity in the market."
That sounds suspiciously like when my mom used to say "Because I said so."
Liquidity is important. If you need to sell your investments (real estate, stocks, bonds,...) today to fund some urgent need, you might not be willing to wait days, weeks, or months. A speculator will step it and give you cash *right now*. Also, he will be willing to pay a market price, whereas you would need to drop your price if you had to unload your investment fast and find a long term investor to buy.
Speculators also provide warnings that something is coming: speculators did not bring down Enron, they signaled that something was rotten. Speculators have been warning us (through the price system) that oil is becoming scarce too.
In this way, they provide time for the consumers to adjust more gradually than would otherwise be possible.
I would go further again and say that if anyone thinks that the mega-corporations might not be looking at possible similar little ideas to say knock out a competitors... Toyota got when they had their "funny accelerator pedal" problem a while ago. I can't even remember what the eventual cause was,
No major corporation would ever do this. Not because they are benevolent, but because the penalty for being caught would be huge: possible bankruptcy and liquidation following massive lawsuit and criminal investigation, plus jail time for the executives. Governments can get away with this because they write the laws and can enforce secrecy. Corporations will eventually be ratted out by their subcontractors.
Toyota: the problem was proven to be entirely due to driver error except due to a few cases of floor mats bunching up under the brake pedal.
2. Work with the Yemeni authorities, who are allies of the US, to attempt to capture him and bring him to the US for trial. If he attempts to resist arrest, by all means shoot back.
What if he is beyond the reach of the Yemeni authorities? Should we tolerate that he continues to organize strikes against civilians for years?
Slashdot Mirror
For police, smartphones are the DNA or fingerprints of the 21st century. Soon every crime investigation will start with "any DNA on scene?" followed by "Who do the tower logs say was in the area at the time of the crime?"
While the corporations that use our data have profited much, so have users. I certainly have profited *hugely* from Google's free search engine, free email, free Docs service, free apps on iPhone and Android, etc. I guess some people also consider that they've profited from whatever benefits Facebook and Twitter offer as well.
The real problem is that the information that these companies accumulate can be captured by the government, and that the logs may go back years (or forever)...
Anything you do on a computer which doesn't belong to you may be used against you in a court of law.
Carry a live-VD, buy a tablet, or use any other means to do your personal computing. Never use someone else's computer to log into your email accounts, surf, etc. And if you think you have "nothing to hide" and can't even imagine how it could be used against you, then you *definitely* need to heed this advice.
The government should ban busybodies from serving in government or the legislature.
The only question should be: "Were the patients fully informed?" If I have a terminal or otherwise untreatable condition, I want to be able to decide for myself whether or not an unproven treatment is worth the risk.
Some people need "protection" or "hand-holding"? No problem. Protect them. But I also want the right to opt out of the government's protection.
A pardon means "we forgive you for your offense".
It would be better for us to say "This law was wrong and the conviction was illegitimate." The only people who should be asking for a pardon are those who voted for and upheld that law.
The current policy is wrong headed and contributes to current and continuing injury.
This policy must be changed such that convictions based on any crime that is now considered "cruel and absurd" must be overturned.
The only way to be reasonably sure of security is by using open source encryption (TrueCrypt, PGP). If you're only using a "black box" system to protect your information, you should expect that governments (and crime syndicates who can bribe individual government employees) will have access to your information.
What's surprising is that anyone with secrets worth protecting doesn't already know this, or hasn't already hired someone competent enough to tell them this.
As the summary says, this is not for laptops. But I find it a very good idea for all kinds of other devices, and well deserving of a patent.
If a government is in breach of a treaty obligation, it can be sued if the treaty provides for this. One example: countries are sometimes sued for imposing unfair tariffs of US goods.
Our landfills are not in any way "filling up quickly" or "running out".
:
http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/the_green_lantern/2011/02/go_west_garbage_can.single.html
"Analysts from the Environmental Protection Agency and the landfill industry assure us that, despite having fewer landfills, total capacity has increased. That is, landfills are getting bigger, on average, faster than their brethren have disappeared."
Where this myth started:
http://www.freakonomics.com/2011/01/13/freakonomics-radio-the-economics-of-trash/
It's too bad that such crooks discredit the entire genome testing industry. I've personally been very satisfied with https://www.23andme.com/ , due in large part to their very rigorous criteria before claiming any effect from any particular gene.
Obligatory: Red Dwarf -- Picture Zoom Sketch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUFkb0d1kbU
Alternately use a safety deposit box
Safety deposit boxes are not a good idea. As soon as the bank is notified that the person is dead, they will cut off access to the box and account until they get a death certificate. This can take time, and is not the solution you're seeking.
By the way, this assumes that you're also reviewing your will every year or so which is a must if you have a wife and child. A quick 5 minute review is enough most years.
As for the envelope, it's easy enough to seal / sign / tape it to make sure it hasn't been tampered with. Very low tech, very cheap, and effective. Just make sure your family knows where the safe is, and where the key is.
Changing passwords every month seems excessive. I use a different password for every site (banking, eBay, etc.) and keep the master list encrypted with http://www.truecrypt.org/ along with other sensitive info. Every year, I print out the passwords (and fake mother's maiden name, etc.) for most sites on paper and place them in the same envelope as my will, in a strong box / safe in the house.
When I die, whatever is in the TrueCrypt partition and whatever passwords I chose not to print die with me. My family will be able to recover all other account info without problem.
So now on top of wondering if my backup DVDs will still be readable in 20 years, and if I'll have the right program to interpret the file, I have to wonder if the very concept of a "file" will remain stable over that time?
They lost the support of a lot of people when they started naming names of innocent people and putting them in danger (eg: people who spoke out against Hezbollah in confidence). These people were risking a lot by speaking to US officials and had their lives put in danger for no good reason.
Many police agencies require a bachelor's degree now, don't they? I know the big one near me does.
The one in my large city requires a diploma from a Police Academy (yeah, like the movie), which is equivalent to a trade school. I looked up the requirements for Atlanta (random choice) and all they ask for is "High School diploma or GED certificate" ( https://www.joinatlantapd.org/requirements.htm ).
but spending a trillion dollars to win a pissing contest while we're cutting Social Security, selling off parks, and laying off tens of thousands of government employees seems, I don't know, kind of stupid.
A trillion? The cost is estimated in the low tens of billions ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manned_mission_to_Mars#ESA.2FRussia_plan_.282002.29 , and http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/mars/ask/humans-on-mars/Cost_of_Manned_Mars_Mission.txt ). By comparison, the entire Apollo program cost only $150 billion in 2010 dollars, the Iraq war cost $1 trillion, and the War on Drugs costs $10 billion every year.
Given that the Apollo program galvanized world opinion in favor of the USA and the values it represents, motivated an army of youngsters to become scientists, and resulted in innumerable technological spin-offs and benefits, I'd say it was well worth it. It will be well worth it to repeat these feats in the future.
As for Social Security, it costs $700 billion every year, but can be made solvent again simply by raising the retirement back to the level it was when the program was first created.
The only way humans will go to Mars will be if a new Cold War starts. I'm happy that Neil deGrasse Tyson eloquently raised this point with the audience (~minute 28). To get more funding for science, we really need to play up the geo-political advantages. Appealing to the love of knowledge might convince the Slashdot crowd, but it won't pry open the coffers of any nation.
So that she would most likely not have any chance to rise above the poverty line.
You don't need to have a college degree to be a policeman, plumber, building superintendent, salesman, etc. These are all well paying jobs.
Of course if you went and got a $150,000 Art History degree, maybe those jobs won't be enough to service your debts.
When I ask "What do speculators produce?" the answer seems to always be, "Speculators produce liquidity in the market."
That sounds suspiciously like when my mom used to say "Because I said so."
Liquidity is important. If you need to sell your investments (real estate, stocks, bonds, ...) today to fund some urgent need, you might not be willing to wait days, weeks, or months. A speculator will step it and give you cash *right now*. Also, he will be willing to pay a market price, whereas you would need to drop your price if you had to unload your investment fast and find a long term investor to buy.
Speculators also provide warnings that something is coming: speculators did not bring down Enron, they signaled that something was rotten. Speculators have been warning us (through the price system) that oil is becoming scarce too.
In this way, they provide time for the consumers to adjust more gradually than would otherwise be possible.
I would go further again and say that if anyone thinks that the mega-corporations might not be looking at possible similar little ideas to say knock out a competitors ... Toyota got when they had their "funny accelerator pedal" problem a while ago. I can't even remember what the eventual cause was,
No major corporation would ever do this. Not because they are benevolent, but because the penalty for being caught would be huge: possible bankruptcy and liquidation following massive lawsuit and criminal investigation, plus jail time for the executives. Governments can get away with this because they write the laws and can enforce secrecy. Corporations will eventually be ratted out by their subcontractors.
Toyota: the problem was proven to be entirely due to driver error except due to a few cases of floor mats bunching up under the brake pedal.
2. Work with the Yemeni authorities, who are allies of the US, to attempt to capture him and bring him to the US for trial. If he attempts to resist arrest, by all means shoot back.
What if he is beyond the reach of the Yemeni authorities? Should we tolerate that he continues to organize strikes against civilians for years?